Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 07-30-2025, 06:14 AM

Etzel Urban – Relief Pitcher – Indianapolis Racers – 78.3% Sixth Ballot

Etzel Urban was a 6’7’’, 200 pound right-handed relief pitcher from The Plains, Ohio; a town of around 3,000 people in the state’s southeast. At his peak, Urban had absolutely filthy stuff and movement along with reliably strong control. He had a 98-100 mph fastball and a devastating slider. Urban’s movement gave him plenty of strikeouts and harmless groundouts.

Urban’s stamina and durability were a mixed bag, but his raw talent made him one of the longest-tenured relievers you’d find. He had a stellar pickoff move and graded as a good defensive pitcher. The biggest critique is that Urban was considered a selfish jerk. He was viewed as a mercenary type with poor leadership, loyalty, and a lackluster work ethic. Even if Urban might have coasted at times on pure ability, that ability earned him a paycheck with 21 different professional baseball franchises.

Despite the small town humble beginnings, Urban was noticed by the University of Washington and made his way to the Pacific Northwest. He spent two seasons closing and one starting for the Huskies, posting a 12-6 record, 25 saves, 2.26 ERA, 127.2 innings, 167 strikeouts, 26 walks, 153 ERA+, and 5.6 WAR. Urban’s height and power pushed him pretty high up the draft boards despite being projected as exclusively a bullpen piece. He went 48^th overall in the 1999 MLB Draft by Indianapolis, returning to the Midwest.

Urban had only 11 weak innings as a rookie in 2000, but was moved into the closer role in 2001. He held that spot through 2007 for the Racers and emerged as one of MLB’s top closers. Urban won Reliever of the Year in both 2002 and 2005, while taking third in both 2006 and 2007’s voting.

2005 had his career bests for strikeouts (121), innings (95.2), saves (37), and WAR (4.7). Urban matched the 37 saves in 2006 and had 36 in 2007, leading the National Association both seasons. 2002 was his best ERA with Indy at 1.39 with a close 1.40 in 2006. Urban had four seasons above 3.5 WAR.

When Urban was drafted, Indianapolis was the defending National Association champ on a four-year playoff streak. The Racers got back to the postseason in 2000, 2002, and 2006; but fell each time in the second round. Urban held up his end with only one run allowed over 15 playoff innings with five saves and 20 strikeouts. Indy was stuck in the upper-middle tier though and Urban felt he could earn a big paycheck in free agency. He left the Circle City after the 2007 season at age 28.

For Indianapolis, Urban had 216 saves and 257 shutdowns, 46-54 record, 2.26 ERA, 590.2 innings, 683 strikeouts, 174 walks, 150 ERA+, 60 FIP, and 21.7 WAR. He was liked enough by the organization to eventually get his #38 uniform retired. For the rest of his career, Urban wouldn’t stay with any team longer than two seasons, partly because of his personality but partly due to how MLB teams viewed the value of relievers.

Urban also did pitch for the United States from 2007-2013 in the World Baseball Championship. He fared quite well with a 0.94 ERA over 48 innings, 4-2 record, 3 saves, 83 strikeouts, 9 walks, 386 ERA+, and 2.5 WAR. Urban finished third in 2009’s Best Pitcher voting with 12.1 scoreless innings. It was a dominant era for the American team with Urban earning World Champion rings in 2007, 08, 10, and 11; plus a runner-up finish in 2009.

He didn’t get the longer-term big deal he hoped for in free agency for 2008, although the one-year and $8,900,000 with Nashville was a nice paycheck. Urban had a 1.49 ERA over 72.2 innings and 4.6 WAR for the Knights and had 1.1 scoreless playoff innings, although they lost in the first round. Next up, Urban signed a one-year deal for 2009 with Kansas City at $9,900,000.

Urban was relatively unremarkable with a 2.86 ERA over 44 innings for the Cougars, who traded him in the summer to Toronto for prospects. He had a 2.76 ERA in 29.1 innings for the Timberwolves. Urban went to Ottawa in 2010 and had his finest ERA at 1.02, along with 37 saves, 109 strikeouts, and 4.3 WAR. He finished second in Reliever of the Year voting for the Elks, who missed the playoffs at 84-78.

Philadelphia grabbed Urban for 2011, but he was used in a setup role with 57 innings, a 2.37 ERA, but no saves. He finally got a longer-term deal for 2012 at three years and $29,100,000 with San Francisco. Urban was second in 2012’s ROTY voting, his final time as an awards finalist, recording a 1.16 ERA, 27 saves, 84 strikeouts, and 4.4 WAR over 69.2 innings. The Gold Rush were stuck in the middle tier though at this point.

Urban’s time in the bay ended abruptly with a torn rotator cuff in March 2013 and he’d make only three appearances that year. SF sent him to New York in a four-player offseason trade. Urban bounced back with a solid 2014 for the Yankees with a 1.97 ERA over 59.1 innings, 25 saves, and 2.0 WAR. For 2015, he signed a two-year, $10,120,000 deal with Calgary.

It was quickly apparent this was a bad fit and Urban was cut in April 2015 after only two poor appearances. He was now about to turn 36-years old and most MLB teams didn’t think he justified the asking price. Urban opened his search worldwide and ended up in West African Baseball, signing for the rest of 2015 with Kumasi. He had a 2.81 ERA, 27 saves, and 2.3 WAR in 64 innings. However, Urban got rocked in his two playoff appearances for the Monkeys.

He did well enough though to earn steady employment in WAB. Urban pitched for Port Harcourt in 2016, Dakar in 2017, Freetown in 2018, and Abidjan in 2018-19. He bounced around between closing and middle relief with respectable production in his late 30s and early 40s, although he was no longer a dominant force by now. Urban notably suffered a ruptured bicep tendon in August 2018.

In 2020, Urban returned to the United States on a two-year, $12,600,000 deal with San Francisco. He never made his official return to the Gold Rush, getting cut in spring training. Brooklyn and Seattle briefly employed him in the spring, but both cut him with only 13 appearances between them. Urban went back to WAB with Lagos, but a torn meniscus in his knee limited him to only four innings of work.

Urban signed with MLB’s Raleigh in 2021 as he continued to recover from injury. He tossed 28.1 decent innings in middle relief for the Raptors, but was cut in late August. Urban finished the year back in Nigeria with Kano. For 2022, he was back in MLB with Tulsa, but they cut him in May. Urban again went to WAB and finished the year with Libreville, but it seemed clear he was cooked at this point with a 5.16 ERA over 29.2 innings.

Between his WAB stints, Urban had 112 saves and 128 shutdowns, a 33-19 record, 3.32 ERA, 347 innings, 317 strikeouts, 52 walks, 138 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 8.5 WAR. Urban wasn’t ready to quit yet and spent most of 2023 with Halifax’s minor league affiliate St. Johns. He wasn’t good enough to make it back to the bigs and ended up cut in late September. Urban finally retired that winter at age 44, an age that rarely had any pros last to and even fewer relief pitchers.

In MLB, Urban had 363 saves and 444 shutdowns, a 90-86 record, 2.14 ERA, 1091.1 innings, 870 games, 1200 strikeouts, 315 walks, 161 ERA+, 60 FIP-, and 39.7 WAR. As of 2037, Urban ranks 15^th in saves in MLB and 23^rd in appearances. Among pitchers with 1000+ career innings, he’s 9^th in ERA, 44^th in WHIP (1.05), 24^th in H/9 (6.84), 26^th in K/9 (9.90), and 14^th in opponent’s OPS (.584). Urban’s .213/.277/.307 triple slash ranks 26^th/78^th/10^th.

Urban’s counting stats were firmly in the middle compared to some of the other Hall of Fame closers for Major League Baseball. However, his best years were mostly early on with Indianapolis and some voters dismissed him as a compiler. Urban had good playoff numbers in MLB when given the chance, but he wasn’t part of any signature playoff runs which hurt his notoriety. Urban did get some credit for his WBC excellence and some partial notice for his WAB totals.

For his combined pro career, Urban had 475 saves and 572 shutdowns, 123-105 record, 2.43 ERA, 1161 games, 1438.1 innings, 1517 strikeouts, 367 walks, 155 ERA+, 64 FIP-, and 48.3 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Urban is 20^th in saves, 17^th in shutdowns, and 4^th in games. Despite that, he doesn’t crack the top 50 of any world lists for rate stats, furthering the “compiler” narrative from his detractors. However, supporters tended to find the longevity as a major plus.

Urban barely missed the 66% requirement for his first five ballots and never fell below 60%. However, he barely budged with 62.5%, 62.3%, 60.7%, 65.4%, and 64.8%. Several borderline relievers were on the ballot concurrently and cannibalized each other’s tallies. In 2033, Urban finally got a sizeable bump up to 78.3% to earn a sixth ballot selection into MLB’s Hall of Fame.

Darel Freeland – Starting Pitcher – Calgary Cheetahs – 66.3% First Ballot

Darel Freeland was a 6’8’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from West Hazleton, Pennsylvania; a borough of about 5,000 people about 30 miles south of Wilkes-Barre. Freeland was good to occasionally great in terms of stuff, movement, and control. His fastball peaked in the 96-98 mph range and was joined by a slider, curveball, forkball, and changeup. No one pitch was overwhelmingly impressive, but all five options were reliably usable.

Freeland had excellent stamina in his prime and twice led the American Association in innings pitched. Like his Hall of Fame classmate Thad Stoner, Freeland was also known for ironman durability. Apart from his rookie year, Freeland tossed 240+ innings and started 31+ games each year of a 16-year career. He graded as a good defensive pitcher and was above average at holding runners. Freeland’s personality was run-of-the-mill, but he was as steady as they came.

For college, Freeland played from 2009-11 at Western Michigan University with a 24-11 record, 2.02 ERA, 293.2 innings, 308 strikeouts, 46 walks, 162 ERA+, and 10.9 WAR. He was picked 10^th overall by Pittsburgh in the 2012 MLB Draft, but his time with the Pirates was brief. Freeland showed good promise as a rookie with a 2.34 ERA over 185 innings with 137 strikeouts and 2.9 WAR. However, he was traded after only one season in a three-pitcher offseason deal with Calgary. The Pirates certainly lost the deal as the arm they got, Reuben Mila, only gave them 86 innings with a 4.60 ERA.

Freeland was a full-time starter and reliable for the Cheetahs over seven years, although they were firmly near the bottom of the standings for most his tenure. Calgary did get just back above .500 at the end of his run, but they averaged only 72.4 wins overall. Freeland led in losses in 2015 at 12-19, but led in wins in 2018 at 22-7. The latter earned a third place in Pitcher of the Year voting.

His most famous moment came on September 28, 2014 against Atlanta. Freeland had only the 28^th perfect game in MLB’s 114 year history, striking out eight against the aces. Calgary signed him to a four-year, $48,600,000 extension in June 2016. However, Freeland declined his contract option after the 2019 season and entered free agency at age 29. For the Cheetahs, he had a 104-102 record, 3.62 ERA, 1867.1 innings, 1510 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, 81 FIP-, and 43.1 WAR.

Freeland signed a five-year, $104 million deal with Ottawa and had his most efficient seasons there. In 2022, he led the National Association in wins at 21-6 and had his strongest ERA yet (2.46) and career bests for strikeouts (240) and WAR (8.6); placing second in Pitcher of the Year voting. Ottawa made the playoffs in both 2021-22, but couldn’t get beyond the first round. In three career playoff appearances, Freeland had a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings with 19 strikeouts.

He declined his fifth-year player option and left again for free agency for the 2024 season at age 33. In four years with Ottawa, Freeland had a 66-42 record, 2.66 ERA, 1019.2 innings, 896 strikeouts, 167 walks, 130 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 27.4 WAR. This excellent run with the Elks though elevated Freeland for many teams from being a reliable innings guy up to a bonafide ace. Phoenix was a believer and gave Freeland a five-year, $165 million deal.

Freeland delivered right away with his career best ERA at 2.44 as well as American Association bests in innings (280.2), WHIP (0.93), and quality starts (27); although he surprisingly wasn’t a POTY finalist. He couldn’t replicate that with 4.05 and 3.89 ERA in the next two seasons, although his innings remained steady. Phoenix didn’t make the playoffs during his tenure as they were trapped in the middle tier.

Strikeouts noticeably dipped in 2026 down to 166, his first full season below 200 Ks. Freeland’s velocity had dropped to 94-96 mph that year, then really fell off in 2027 down to 88-90 mph. He still tossed 243 innings that year with a 4.26 ERA, but only fanned 61 for 0.6 WAR. Freeland retired that winter shortly after his 37^th birthday, finishing four years in Phoenix with a 65-55 record, 3.63 ERA, 1063 innings, 642 strikeouts, 196 walks, 117 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 19.8 WAR.

Freeland ended with a 243-208 record, 3.33 ERA, 4135 innings, 3185 strikeouts, 788 walks, 315/517 quality starts, 220 complete games, 44 shutouts, 117 ERA+, 82 FIP-, and 93.2 WAR. As of 2037, Freeland ranks 61^st in wins, 71^st in innings, 57^th in complete games, 52^nd in shutouts, 72^nd in strikeouts, and 43^rd in WAR among pitchers. He had a remarkably similar resume to Hall of Fame classmate Thad Stoner, as both guys were known for durability and reliable, steady production.

Their ERAs were near identical (3.33 to 3.34) as were their WAR (91.4 to 93.2). Stoner had him beat in strikeouts (3473 to 3185) and pitched with one team almost all of his career. Still, it is surprising that Stoner got 93.2% with his resume and Freeland only managed 66.3%. The Ks and being on less bad teams seemed to make the difference, even though Freeland had the marginally better WAR total and more innings.

No one places Freeland as an inner-circle guy, but he was as steady as they come and holds a unique spot in Major League Baseball’s history as one of the select few with a perfect game. 66.3% only barely breached the 66% threshold, but Freeland was a first ballot selection regardless to cap off a three-player Hall of Fame class for 2033.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 07-30-2025, 05:47 PM

The Central American Baseball Association had a strong four man Hall of Fame class for 2033 with each earning first ballot honors. Co-headlining were SP Jamarca Akim and OF Matias Esquilin at 99.2% and 98.9%, respectively. OF Nerfy Ayala (87.4%) and 1B Payton Nandin (84.7%) was both firm additions in their own right. No one else cracked 50% with the best returner being 1B Hasan Alvizo at 46.4% on his ninth try.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was CF/LF Soloman Hendricks, who peaked in his debut at 25.2% and ended at 5.7%. He barely stayed on the ballot to the end as his final four ballots were above 5%, but below 6%. The Belizean had 15 CABA seasons with three Silver Sluggers, 2094 games, 2235 hits, 1187 runs, 345 doubles, 119 triples, 459 home runs, 1320 RBI, .278/.310/.521 slash, 130 wRC+, and 57.0 WAR. Hendricks was notably part of Juarez’s 2016 CABA championship team and he had a 51 homer, 152 RBI season in 2011. He helped kick off the Jesters’ dynasty run as a reliable starter, but his tallies suggest a Hall of Pretty Good type resume.

Jamarca Akim – Starting Pitcher – Hermosillo Hyenas – 99.2% First Ballot

Jamarca Akim was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Montego Bay, Jamaica; the country’s fourth most populous urban area with about 110,000 inhabitants. In his prime, Akim had excellent stuff along with good-to-great movement and control. He had a three-pitch arsenal of a 97-99 mph fastball, slider, and changeup. Akim’s ability to change speeds made him one of the most dangerous aces in the Mexican League.

Akim’s stamina was outstanding, leading the league four times in both innings pitched and complete games. His durability was also strong for the vast majority of his run, tossing 200+ innings each year from 2010-26. Akim was a good defensive pitcher and won a Gold Glove in 2015, although his ability to hold runners was average at best. Akim was also a high character man and a team captain, respected across CABA for his work ethic, loyalty, and leadership.

In March 2005, a teenaged Akim left Jamaica for Mexico on a developmental deal with Hermosillo. His entire CABA run came with Mexican teams, but he never forgot about his home island. Once Jamaica started qualifying regularly in the World Baseball Championship, Akim was a regular, although this was in the second half of his career. From 2021-30, he had a 3.43 ERA, 144.1 innings, 5-12 record, 166 strikeouts, 103 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR.

Akim spent the better part of five years in Hermosillo’s academy, debuting with nine poor relief appearances in 2009 at age 20. He became a full-time starter in 2010 and had mixed results in his first two years, even leading in losses in 2011 at 9-19. In 2010, the Hyenas were Mexican League Championship Series runners up to Ecatepec. That marked the end of a five-year playoff streak for Hermosillo, who mostly stayed in the middle of the standings through 2017.

With a 4.81 ERA in 2011, you could be forgiven for not predicting what came next for Akim. From 2012-15, he led the ML each year in WAR. Akim won three consecutive Pitcher of the Year awards from 2012-14 and was second in 2015. He threw his lone no-hitter on September 1, 2012 with 12 strikeouts and two walks against Mexico City. That winter, Hermosillo locked him up to a six-year, $66 million extension.

2014 was Akim’s finest with a career and league bests in strikeouts (317), ERA (2.18), ERA+ (175), FIP- (44), and WAR (11.5). As of 2037, this is the 25^th-best pitching season by WAR in CABA history and his .494 opponent’s OPS ranks 49^th among qualifying seasons. After having four straight seasons of above 8+ WAR, Akim’s production dipped to back-to-back 4.1 WAR seasons.

However in 2018, Akim won his fourth Pitcher of the Year with his lone ERA title at 2.43. This was a contract year and Akim tested free agency for about a month before ultimately re-signing with the Hyenas for $82,800,000 over six seasons. He repeated as POTY in 2019 and is one of only eight in CABA history to win the award five times.

Hermosillo made it back to the playoffs from 2018-20 as a wild card, unable to win the North Division crown against Juarez’s dynasty. The Hyenas got to the MLCS in 2018 and 2020, but fell to Leon and the Jesters, respectively. They had a first round exit in 2019. Hermosillo fell back to the middle tier for the next five years, peaking at 85 wins and bottoming out at 79.

Akim’s playoff stats were a very mixed bag. He was excellent in 2020 with a 1.59 ERA over 17 innings, but he struggled in his other outings overall for the Hyenas. With Hermosillo, he had a 4.86 playoff ERA with a 5-4 record, 66.2 innings, 62 strikeouts, 13 walks, 79 ERA+, 118 FIP-, and 0.3 WAR. This does knock him a down a peg often below the other 5+ time POTY winners in on many of the all-time lists.

He wasn’t an awards finalist again, but he remained a steady starter for the remainder of the Hermosillo run. While there, Akim breached the 200 win and 3500 strikeout thresholds. With the Hyenas, Akim had a 228-155 record, 3.02 ERA, 3656 innings, 3876 strikeouts, 657 walks, 126 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 91.9 WAR. He still remains a popular figure with Hermosillo fans after retirement and his #21 uniform was later retired. Akim’s contract expired with the 2024 season, sending him to free agency at age 36.

Akim signed a three-year, $38,100,000 deal with Toluca. The Tortugas were an expansion team set to debut in 2025. He spent a year-and-a-half there with a 22-17 record, 2.41 ERA, 343 innings, 336 strikeouts, 49 walks, 147 ERA+, and 8.4 WAR. Toluca traded him in June 2026 to Monterrey for four prospects, although Akim did notably earn his 250^th career win the week before the trade.

In a year and change for Monterrey, Akim had a 22-19 record, 2.87 ERA, 360.1 innings, 312 strikeouts, 123 ERA+, and 6.1 WAR; remaining a solid arm. The Matadors did get a wild card in 2026 but went one-and-done. Akim got credited with a loss in the playoff s despite a quality start with two runs allowed in eight innings. With Monterrey, he also became only the 4^th in CABA history to reach 4500 strikeouts.

Akim still had currency at age 39 and entertained offers that winter. After nearly two decades of great durability, disaster struck with a torn labrum pitching in the 2028 World Baseball Championship for Jamaica. Most of the offers quickly dried up, as such an injury for a guy his age usually was a career killer. While he rehabbed, Akim did eventually get a one-year, $10,400,000 deal in late June with MLB’s Chicago Cubs. He never pitched a regular season inning in MLB, but did make it back for one solid playoff start for the Cubs, allowing one run over seven innings. They went one-and-done, but Akim showed he could still contribute.

The velocity had dropped for the now 40-year old and mostly hovered in the upper 80s to low 90s for his final seasons. Akim ended up in Ivory Coast on a three-year, $25,800,000 deal with Abidjan of West African Baseball. The Athletes used him as a closer in 2029-30 with respectable results. Akim fell off hard in 2031 and was reduced mostly to long relief in that final year.

For Abidjan, Akim had 65 saves and 84 shutdowns, a 27-19 record, 3.75 ERA, 247 innings, 237 strikeouts, 72 walks, 121 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. This left him one win short of the 300 mark for his combined career. Akim wanted to get that, but no teams were interested in him for 2032. He finally retired that winter shortly after his 44^th birthday.

Akim’s combined pro career had a 299-210 record, 128 saves, 3.00 ERA, 4606.1 innings, 4761 strikeouts, 826 walks, 127 ERA+, 78 FIP-, 212 complete games, 45 shutouts, and 109.7 WAR. As of 2037, Akim ranks 47^th in wins among all pitchers and also just misses the top 50 for innings, strikeouts and complete games.

In CABA, Akim had a 272-191 record, 63 saves, 2.96 ERA, 4359.1 innings, 4524 strikeouts, 754 walks, 338/510 quality starts, 212 complete games, 45 shutouts, 127 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 106.4 WAR. As of 2037, Akim is 6^th in wins, 8^th in losses, 9^th in starts, 4^th in complete games, 3^rd in innings, 7^th in strikeouts, 40^th in walks, and 8^th in WAR for pitchers. As a function of longevity, he is also 2^nd in hits allowed (3902) and 21^st in homers allowed (366).

Akim is easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but his weaker playoff stats and lower raw dominance often keeps him out of the top five CABA pitcher rankings behind the likes of Ulices Montero, Richard Wright, Israel Montague, and Junior Vergara. You’ll rarely find Akim rated outside of the top ten though and he’s generally considered Jamaica’s best-ever pitcher. A few batters probably beat him for the #1 spot overall from the island, but Akim is certainly in that conversation. At 99.2%, he co-headlined a strong four-player Hall of Fame class in 2033 for the Central American Baseball Association.

Matias Esquilin – Left/Right Field – Juarez Jesters – 98.9% First Ballot

Matias Esquilin was a 5’9’’, 185 pound switch-hitting corner outfielder from Carolina, Puerto Rico; part of the San Juan metropolitan area with about 155,000 people. Despite having a smaller and stockier build than many of the all-time greats, Esquilin ended up as one of the longest-tenured players in the history of the game. His legendary durability gave him 140+ games played in 22 seasons, plus 125 in his final year at age 43.

Esquilin was a solid contact hitter especially facing right-handed pitching, finishing with a career .914 OPS and 156 wRC+ against RHP. He was merely decent against lefties with a .778 OPS and 117 wRC+. Overall, Esquilin was average at drawing walks and subpar at avoiding strikeouts. He had a reliable pop in his bat though, especially in terms of gap power with 31 doubles and 15 triples per his 162 game average. While he wasn’t a prolific slugger, Esquilin was also good for a rock solid 30 homers per 162.

On the basepaths, Esquilin was among CABA’s most dangerous and maintained very good speed even into his 40s. Although he only led in steals once, Esquilin was almost always in the top ten and ended up as CABA’s stolen bases king at career end. Defensively, Esquilin made just over half of his career starts in left field with most of the rest in right. He graded as stronger in right, but he was a good-to-great defender in both corners.

His consistency was remarkable, which combined with ironman durability propelled Esquilin to the #1 spot on the CABA leaderboard for hits, runs, and total bases by the time he was done. He was also a true fan favorite noted for a tireless work ethic, strong loyalty, and team-first attitude. It is no surprise that Esquilin became a beloved favorite for fans across the region.

Esquilin’s entire pro career came in the Mexican League, but he adored as an icon of Puerto Rico as well. He was a regular from 2005-26 in the World Baseball Championship for PR, although his stats in the event were surprisingly underwhelming. In 109 games, Esquilin had 84 hits, 49 runs, 16 doubles, 20 homers, 47 RBI, 41 steals, .228/.292/.439 slash, and 2.3 WAR.

In October 2001, a young Esquilin left Puerto Rico for Mexico on a developmental deal with Chihuahua. After three years in their academy, he debuted for the Warriors as a full-time starter in 2005 at age 21. Esquilin had a strong rookie season with .852 OPS and 4.9 WAR, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. He would be a regular for seven seasons with Chihuahua.

In 2008, Esquilin was a league leader for the first time in runs (131) and doubles (40). It was also his first of six seasons with 8+ WAR. Esquilin also from 2006-2020 was good for 100+ runs every single season. He took third in 2008’s MVP voting and won his first Silver Slugger in LF. Esquilin won additional Sluggers in 2010 and 2011 with the Warriors and was third in 2011’s MVP voting. He had a career and league-best 91 steals and 28 triples in 2010. 2011 would be Esquilin’s career highs for triple slash (.356/.405/.640), OPS (1.046), wRC+ (192), and WAR (10.1).

Esquilin helped Chihuahua become competitive again, ending a playoff drought dating back to 1962. They had been largely terrible for the rest of the 20^th Century, but had started hovering around .500 to start the 21^st. The Warriors broke the drought in 2008 with a first round exit as a wild card. After missing the next two years, Chihuahua broke through at 102-60 in 2011. It was the first time since 1948 that the Warriors had the Mexican League’s best record.

They carried that to their first pennant since 1961, although Chihuahua lost the CABA Championship to Honduras. In 18 playoff starts, Esquilin had 20 hits, 9 runs, 4 doubles, 2 homers, 12 RBI, 8 steals, and 0.5 WAR. In the second-ever Baseball Grand Championship, he had 16 hits, 10 runs, 2 triples, 4 homers, 14 RBI, and 0.4 WAR as the Warriors tied for sixth at 11-8.

Chihuahua had been notoriously cheap and had seen numerous big homegrown stars leave for free agency. Despite finally being back in the mix with Esquilin and his non-greedy personality, the Warriors let him leave after the 2011 pennant at age 28. For Chihuahua, Esquilin had 1081 games, 1370 hits, 807 runs, 242 doubles, 131 triples, 193 home runs, 651 RBI, 497 steals, .318/.361/.569 slash, 166 wRC, and 50.9 WAR. He remains broadly popular with Warriors fans, who held his departure far more against management than against him.

Esquilin would become most famous with Juarez, signing at first to an eight-year, $101 million deal. The Jesters ended their own four year playoff drought with a wild card in 2011. With Esquilin, they soon would begin one of the most impressive dynasty runs in CABA history. In a hyper-competitive 2012, Juarez’s 92-70 record earned them the top seed. They won the Mexican League title, but lost to Santo Domingo in the CABA Championship.

In his Jesters debut, Esquilin won his first Silver Slugger in RF and was second in MVP voting. He had 15 hits, 7 runs, 3 doubles, and 3 homers in the playoff run. Esquilin then had 15 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, and 13 RBI in the BGC as Juarez finished 9-10. In 2013, Esquilin was third in MVP voting and led for the only time in his career in both hits (209), and WAR (8.7); while also leading in runs for the second time (125). Despite that, the Jesters surprisingly regressed to 80-82.

They quickly bounced back to begin their dynasty with a 13-year playoff streak from 2014-26. Esquilin led in runs again in 2014 and 2016, although he wasn’t a league leader after that. He was third in 2014’s MVP voting and won his final Silver Slugger that year. Esquilin is one of the better players to never win an MVP in his career.

As he entered his 30s though, he ceded the top star spot on the roster to Loyd Wayne. But Esquilin was ol’ reliable and was generally good for around 4-6 WAR and 100+ runs each year through the 2010s. He notably hit for the cycle for the first time in 2015 against Hermosillo, then did it again in 2025 against San Luis Potosi.

During this playoff streak, Juarez won four CABA Championships (2016, 17, 20, 25) and six ML pennants (15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 25). They made the MLCS each year from 2014-17 and from 2019-25. The Jesters also won ten division titles and had ten seasons with 100+ wins. Esquilin was a constant through it all. He won CABA Championship MVP in 2020’s victory over Trinidad and was MLCS MVP in both 2022 and 2025. Juarez gave him a four-year, $32,200,000 extension after the 2018 season, then a three-year, $35,300,000 extension after the 2024 campaign.

Esquilin’s playoff stats weren’t incredible for dominance, but of course were naturally steady. With Juarez, he had 154 games with 167 hits, 97 runs, 35 doubles, 12 triples, 35 homers, 86 RBI, 38 steals, .265/.300/.525 slash, 129 wRC+, and 4.2 WAR. For his combined career, Esquilin had 174 games, 189 hits, 107 runs, 39 doubles, 13 triples, 38 home runs, 99 RBI, 46 steals, .267/.301/.519 slash, 128 wRC+, and 4.7 WAR.

Because of the steady production, as of 2037 Esquilin is the all-time CABA playoff leader in games, at-bats (709), runs, hits, total bases (368), singles (99), doubles, and strikeouts (178). He also was the home runs leader at retirement, although he’d get passed by Ortiz Rosales in the 2030s. Esquilin also ranks 2^nd in RBI behind Solomon Aragon’s 105 and 2^nd in steals to Velasquez Saavedra’s 57.

Esquilin also got no shortage of appearances in the Baseball Grand Championship with Juarez’s regular participation during the dynasty. They famously were the first CABA team to win the BGC, earning the 2017 title by tiebreaker at 12-7 over Concepcion and Bamako. The Jesters were 9-10 in 2015 for 12^th, 11-8 in 2016 for 9^th, 9-10 for 14^th in 2020, 11-8 for 5^th in 2022, and 10-9 for 9^th in 2025.

By rate stats, Esquilin actually was fairly weak in the BGC. In 146 games, he had 100 hits, 64 runs, 18 doubles, 4 triples, 26 homers, 65 RBI, 36 steals, .182/.271/.372 slash, and 0.8 WAR. He is the event leader all-time in games, at-bats (548), and strikeouts (181). Even if he wasn’t dominant, Esquilin still endeared himself to players and fans from across the globe.

Esquilin was still a good starter even into his late 30s and early 40s. He started climbing up the CABA leaderboards as well, becoming the second to 2000 runs scored in 2022. Early in 2023, he passed Wesley Dubar’s 2028 to become the CABA all-time leader. Esquilin also quickly soared by Mario Bueno’s 1070 steals to become the CABA leader, eventually ending up at 1606.

The big one people were watching was total hits. The legendary Prometheo Garcia had held CABA’s top spot for hits at 3871 since 1962. He was also still the world leader at this point with 4917 hits, having played another six years post-CABA in MLB. That world record was likely untouchable for Esquilin, but the CABA mark was in reach. In late 2023, Esquilin became the fifth to get to 3500 hits. In 2024, he was the third to 600 doubles with a shot at Adrian Tovar’s record 675.

On the downside, he became CABA’s new leader for strikeouts in 2025. But in 2025, Esquilin also passed Garcia’s 6791 total bases for the top CABA mark. In early 2026, Esquilin became the 24^th member of the 600 home run club. That season, he got 160 hits to pass Garcia as CABA’s hit king. Esquilin passed Tovar’s games played record (3338) and was also now the leader in at-bats. Additionally in 2026, Esquilin was the sixth in CABA to reach 2000 RBI.

Maybe even more impressive is that Esquilin passed Garcia’s combined CABA/MLB runs scored of 2374, which had stood as the world record for more than five decades. That placed Esquilin #2 on the world chart, as concurrently in South Asia Baseball, world home run king Majed Darwish had set the new high mark of 2664. Esquilin was passed for second by WAB’s Fares Belaid, who became the world hit king in the early 2030s. Esquilin still holds the #3 spot though as of 2037.

Through 2026, Esquilin still was providing a positive value bat. Age finally caught up to him in 2027, which was also notably a .500 season for Juarez and the end of their playoff streak. Esquilin played 125 games but only started 75 with .688 OPS, 96 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. The key figure was 76 hits, allowing him to become one of only six in all of pro baseball history with 4000 career hits. He also became the eighth to play 3500+ games in a career. On the downside, Esquilin became the only CABA player with 3000+ strikeouts and is only 29 in world history with that many whiffs. He did also fall nine doubles short of Tovar for that CABA record.

Esquilin retired that winter shortly after his 44^th birthday and immediately had his #21 uniform retired by Juarez. For the Jesters, he had 2438 games, 2639 hits, 1606 runs, 424 doubles, 202 triples, 452 home runs, 1410 RBI, 644 walks, 2077 strikeouts, 1109 stolen bases, .285/.331/.521 slash, 136 wRC+, and 85.3 WAR.

The grand totals for Esquilin: 3519 games, 13,558 at-bats, 2413 runs, 4009 hits, 666 doubles, 333 triples, 645 home runs, 2061 RBI, 943 walks, 3002 strikeouts, 1606 stolen bases, 706 caught stealing, 7276 total bases, .296/.340/.537 slash, 146 wRC+, and 136.2 WAR. As of 2037, Esquilin is CABA’s all-time leader in games, at-bats, runs, hits, total bases, stolen bases, and strikeouts.

Esquilin also ranks 2^nd in singles (2365), 2^nd in doubles, 5^th in triples, 8^th in caught stealing, 20^th in walks, 5^th in WAR among position players, and 8^th in WAR among everyone in CABA. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Esquilin is 8^th in games played, 5^th in at-bats, 3^rd in runs, 6^th in hits, 32^nd in doubles, 13^th in stolen bases, and 60^th in WAR among position players. He also just misses the top 50 for RBI and triples. On the all-time WAR board for all players ever, Esquilin sits 98^th.

No doubt, Esquilin is a true immortal of the game and one of the legendary ironmen. Even with his massive tallies, he usually isn’t cited as the greatest of all time for the Central American Baseball Association. Garcia, Dubar, and Kiko Velazquez are usually the top three position players in varying orders since they won nine, nine, and ten MVPs between them respectively.

Esquilin also has tough competition for Puerto Rico’s best ever, competing with CABA home run/RBI king Noah Breton five-time MVP Donald Gonzalez who has him beat for combined WAR between CABA/MLB. CABA has had some stellar stars over 120+ seasons, although Esquilin makes most top ten lists for position players.

Regardless of where a scholar would place him on the grand scheme, Esquilin is arguably a top ten player in world history specifically in durability, consistency, and baserunning. When you combine regular season, playoffs, and tournaments; Esquilin competed in an incredible 3948 games. Only Prometheo Garcia (4074) and SAB’s Manju Abbas (4007) have Esquillin beat there. He received 98.9% to co-headline an impressive four-player 2033 Hall of Fame class for CABA.

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**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 07-31-2025, 06:20 AM

Nerfy “Deuce” Ayala – Outfield – Torreon Tomahawks – 87.4% First Ballot

Nerfy Ayala was a 6’3’’, 195 pound left-handed outfielder from Santiago de Cuba; the island’s second-largest city with about 507,000 inhabitants. Nicknamed “Deuce,” Ayala was an excellent contact hitter with a solid pop in his bat specifically against right-handed pitching. Facing RHP, he had a career .936 OPS and 159 wRC+. Ayala was average at best against lefties with a .724 OPS and 102 wRC+. On the whole, he was better than most at avoiding strikeouts, but weaker than most at drawing walks.

Ayala’s 162 game average got you 31 doubles, 11 triples, and 24 home runs. He was a highly skilled and crafty baserunner with good-to-great speed. Ayala had an excellent arm, which served him well as a right fielder for about 85% of his starts. He graded overall as a reliable solid defender in RF and was maybe a notch just below Gold Glove level. Ayala occasionally started in left with below average results and in center with lousy results.

For much of his career, Ayala had impeccable durability with 140+ starts each year from 2011-23. He was an incredibly likeable fan favorite, becoming extremely popular at each of his stops. Ayala worked hard, was adaptable, selfless, and loyal. Those were traits that served him very well across a 20-year pro career.

Ayala was one of the top young prospects coming from Cuba for the 2008 CABA Draft and was picked as a teenager 16^th overall by Suriname. The Silverbacks were still a newer and relatively unsuccessful franchise at that point, having entered with the 2003 expansion. Ayala spent all of 2009 in their academy and only saw 10 games in 2010 at age 20. He debuted as a full-time starter in 2011 and took second in Rookie of the Year voting.

He had three solid seasons starting for Suriname with 487 games, 593 hits, 266 runs, 74 doubles, 25 triples, 62 home runs, 208 RBI, 121 steals, .330/.373/.502 slash, 137 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. The Silverbacks were still going seemingly nowhere though and decided to trade Ayala after the 2013 season to defending CABA champ Torreon for prospects. Three of them ended up as decent multi-year starters, helping Suriname to a few playoff berths in the early 2020s.

Ayala’s most famous run was with the Tomahawks, which made him a superstar across Mexico. He was also beloved back home in Cuba as a regular from 2012-29 in the World Baseball Championship. Ayala played 148 games in the WBC with 143 hits, 77 runs, 20 doubles, 6 triples, 22 homers, 65 RBI, .265/.309/.446 slash, and 3.4 WAR.

Torreon was the defending CABA champ, their first-ever overall title, and hoped Ayala could help spur a dynasty run. The plan seemed to work initially with a franchise record 107-55 mark in 2014. The Tomahawks repeated as Mexican League champs, but lost the CABA finale to Nicaragua. Ayala was especially potent in the playoffs with 1.140 OPS, 1.3 WAR, 26 hits, 18 runs, 4 doubles, 4 homers, and 12 RBI in 16 starts.

In the Baseball Grand Championship, Torreon finished 12-7, officially in sixth after tiebreakers. Ayala had a decent showing with 18 hits, 13 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 9 RBI, and .868 OPS. Despite this strong start, he was actually subpar in his later limited playoff trips with -0.2 WAR across 11 starts. Torreon had only winning seasons through 2024, but they didn’t get beyond the first round for the rest of Ayala’s tenure with berths from 2015-17 and in both 2022 and 2024.

In March 2016, Ayala signed an eight-year, $134,200,000 extension with the Tomahawks. He remained steady through it all, winning his lone Silver Sluggers in 2015 and 2016. Ayala was also third in 2016’s MVP voting, which had his career bests for hits (224), homers (37), OPS (1.025), and wRC+ (179). His only time as a league leader was with 41 doubles in 2020. That year also had his bests for runs (121), average (.365), OBP (.401), and WAR (8.6). Ayala notably hit for the cycle in April 2019 against San Luis Potosi.

2024 saw his first notable injuries, missing about a month to an intercostal strain. Ayala was still steady and solid, but Torreon didn’t re-sign him and he entered free agency at age 35. For the Tomahawks, Ayala had 1712 games, 2197 hits, 1131 runs, 361 doubles, 129 triples, 271 home runs, 1014 RBI, 491 steals, .336/.368/.555 slash, 156 wRC+, and 66.9 WAR. Torreon would later retire his #29 uniform for his 11 years of steady service.

Ayala signed a three-year, $35,100,000 deal with Puerto Rico, but quickly saw his production dip. He did notably hit again for the cycle in August 2025 against Haiti and in April 2027 against Guadeloupe, becoming the third in CABA history to achieve the feat thrice. In 2026, Ayala became the 14^th member of the 3000 hit club and the 21^st to 1500 runs scored. However, he missed two months that year to elbow inflammation and had a fractured tibia the prior fall.

In three years for the Pelicans, Ayala had 381 games, 384 hits, 195 runs, 61 doubles, 26 triples, 49 home runs, 186 RBI, .280/.319/.470 slash, 111 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Ayala was now 38-years old and CABA teams generally thought he was cooked. He wasn’t ready to stop playing yet and put out global feelers. This led him to the Asian Baseball Federation for his final two pro seasons.

Ayala joined Shymkent in 2028 and had 2.6 WAR over 134 games with 131 hits, 61 runs, 26 doubles, 15 homers, 52 RBI, .272/.302/.432 slash, 124 wRC+, and 2.6 WAR. Ayala went to Lahore in 2029 and had a remarkable resurgence with 5.1 WAR, .817 OPS, 167 hits, 80 runs, 30 doubles, 19 homers, 85 RBI, and a .295/.340/.447 slash. The season ended with a broken hand, but he showed he could still go. Ayala didn’t want to overstay his welcome though and retired that winter just after turning 40.

For his combined pro career, Ayala had 2866 games, 3472 hits, 1733 runs, 552 doubles, 191 triples, 416 home runs, 1545 RBI, 609 walks, 1516 strikeouts, 740 steals, .323/.358/.526 slash, 145 wRC+, and 95.8 WAR. Just in CABA, Ayala played 2580 games with 3174 hits, 1592 runs, 496 doubles, 180 triples, 382 home runs, 1408 RBI, 547 walks, 1350 strikeouts, 680 steals, .327/.362/.533 slash, 146 wRC+, and 88.0 WAR.

As of 2037 in CABA, Ayala ranks 41^st in games, 10^th in hits, 20^th in runs, 24^th in total bases (5176), 8^th in singles (2116), 14^th in doubles, 88^th in triples, 63^rd in RBI, 86^th in steals, and 58^th in WAR among position players. Ayala also ranks 73^rd in batting average among all CABA hitters with 3000+ plate appearances.

Ayala was never considered the top guy in the game, but he was a remarkably consistent starter for close to two decades and accordingly accrued impressive accumulations. Plus, he was one of the most genuine and likeable guys in the game. A few Hall of Fame voters dinged him for the lack of black ink and awards, but Ayala still got more than enough for the first ballot nod. At 87.4%, he was the third of four inductees for the 2033 class in the Central American Baseball Association.

Payton Nandin – First Base – Panama Parrots – 84.7% First Ballot

Payton Nandin was a 6’7’’, 205 pound left-handed first baseman from Mixco, Guatemala; part of Guatemala City’s metropolitan area with around 466,000 people. Nandin was known for his remarkably steady and consistent home run power. He hit 30+ in all of his full seasons and had 40+ 12 times. Nandin’s 162 game average got you 43 homers, 26 doubles, and 4 triples.

Despite the strong slugging, Nandin was an above average contact hitter at best and struggled with strikeouts. He never hit above .300 in any season, but he was at least fairly solid at drawing walks. Nandin was stronger facing right-handed pitching (.892 OPS, 137 wRC+) than against lefties (.790 OPS, 114 wRC+). One major benefit was his excellent defense as a career first baseman. Nandin won two Gold Gloves and reliably graded as one of the better gloves at the spot.

Nandin had ironman durability, starting 146+ games each year from 2012-27. That reliability and power made him a popular player during his run. Nandin also earned plenty of respect in the clubhouse as he was appreciated for his leadership, loyalty, and adaptability.

Being a tall lefty who hits hard will always earn attention from the scouts. Nandin wasn’t “big league ready” by the 2007 CABA Draft, but teams saw a lot of potential and upset. Nandin went 14^th overall to Panama and played his entire career with the Parrots. He wasn’t immediately used though, spending all of 2008 in their academy. From 2009-11, Nandin only saw 45 total starts and 92 games with mostly weak results.

It was sink or swim time for Nandin in 2012, as he took over the starting job. He certainly swam with arguably the best season he’d ever have, leading the Caribbean League with career highs in runs (117), RBI (132), and total bases (401). Nandin also had his career highs for hits (186), doubles (34), triples (11), homers (53), average (.293), slugging (.631), OPS (.972), wRC+ (160), and WAR (6.7). He hit for the cycle on August 30 against Havana and finished second in MVP voting, his only time as a finalist.

Nandin never had a year quite like that again and with the competition at first base, he never won a Silver Slugger. He did win Gold Gloves in 2019 and 2026 and provided steady production for the next 15 years. Panama had been a historically terrible franchise with a 61-year playoff drought from 1947-2007. With Nandin’s help in the 2010s and 2020s, they were at least generally competitive, averaging 84.6 wins per season in his years as a starter.

The Parrots had playoff appearances in 2012, 2013, and 2015; but never went on a deep run. 2013 was the only year they won a playoff series, eventually falling to Santo Domingo in the CLCS. Panama mostly hovered around .500 after that with Nandin doing his thing. His limited playoff tries saw a .698 OPS, 91 wRC+, and 0.2 WAR in 14 starts. The Parrots gave him an eight-year, $96,900,000 extension after the 2014 season and a five-year, $57 million extension after the 2021 campaign. He did notably lead in homers with 49 in 2019, his only other time as a league leader after 2012.

Nandin did have solid numbers as a regular for his native Guatemala from 2013-28 in the World Baseball Championship. In 155 games, he had 107 hits, 81 runs, 18 doubles, 45 home runs, 84 RBI, 82 walks, .209/.333/.515 slash, 141 wRC+, and 5.3 WAR. Nandin’s best effort was his debut 2013 WBC with 18 hits, 13 runs, 7 homers, and 16 RBI in 18 games, helping the Guatemalans to a fourth place finish.

With his ironman durability and consistency, Nandin started hitting impressive milestones later in his career. In 2025, he became the 23^rd member of the 600 home run club and the 36^th to reach 1500 RBI. In 2027, Nandin was the 22^nd to reach 1500 runs scored and the 62^nd to 2500 hits.

While still a competent starter, his numbers had started to dip a bit in his late 30s. Panama didn’t re-sign Nandin after the 2027 season, sending him to free agency for the first time with age 40 approaching. Nandin did hope to play somewhere, but couldn’t find a home in 2028. He retired that winter and the Parrots quickly retired his #27 uniform for his lengthy service.

Nandin’s final stats saw 2622 games, 2507 hits, 1534 runs, 427 doubles, 60 triples, 695 home runs, 1713 RBI, 829 walks, 2540 strikeouts, .263/.328/.538 slash, 131 wRC+, and 71.6 WAR. As of 2037, Nandin ranks 28^th in games, 26^th in runs, 68^th in hits, 26^th in total bases (5139), 54^th in doubles, 10^th in homers, 17^th in RBI, 45^th in walks, and 6^th in strikeouts. Notably, he doesn’t crack the top 100 in WAR for position players, with some Sabermetric-minded voters arguing Nandin was less impressive than the raw totals might suggest.

Even if he didn’t have the overwhelming dominance or awards, the consistency and accumulations can’t be ignored. If you get 2500+ hits, 1500+ runs, 1500+ RBI, and nearly 700 home runs, you’re going to be a lock for most Hall of Fame voters. Nandin earned a first ballot nod at 84.7% to cap off an impressive four-player class in 2033 for the Central American Baseball Association.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 07-31-2025, 05:03 PM

The 2033 Hall of Fame class for East Asia Baseball was a stellar one with four inductees all on the first ballot. Three of them were absolute locks with SP Toshikuni Naikai at 97.8%, 1B Masaru Ochiai at 92.6%, and SP Yun-Jae Peak at 90.4%. LF Ji-Hwan Kim squeaked in as the fourth inductee at 67.2%, just breaching the 66% requirement. No one else was above 50% with the best returner being LF Jae-A Choi at 45.0% on his third ballot.

The one player removed from the ballot after ten failed tries was SP Seong-Won Oh, who peaked at 32.1% in his debut and ended at 4.8%. He had a 16-year career almost entirely with Goyang with a 206-157 record, 3.13 ERA, 3291.1 innings, 2853 strikeouts, 595 walks, 120 ERA+, 87 FIP-, and 60.5 WAR. Oh notably helped the Green Sox win the 2012 EAB title with a 2.64 ERA over 30.2 innings in the playoffs. He didn’t have the big awards or black ink though to stand out and probably needed another few years of raw tallies to make it despite that.

Toshikuni Naikai – Pitcher – Fukuoka Frogs – 97.8% First Ballot

Toshikuni Naikai was a 6’6’’, 195 pound left-handed pitcher from Sadowara, Japan; a town on the southern island of Kyushu. It has since merged into the expanded city of Miyazaki with a population of 397,000. At his peak, Naikai may have been the most effective and efficient pitcher in all of baseball history. His raw stuff was absolutely insane and absolutely broke the scale, something almost never seen from a starter. If the scale was 1/10, many scouts rated Naikai’s stuff as a 12 or 13 in his prime.

Naikai had a stellar 98-100 mph fastball, an absolutely filthy curveball, and a solid changeup in his arsenal. He also had good-to-great control and movement, was a strong defender, and had one of the best pickoff moves in the game. The few runners that got on base against Naikai often got held in place. He was an absolute master at changing speeds and when healthy, had pretty good stamina. Naikai’s efficiency also meant he could go deeper into games with fewer pitches thrown than most aces needed.

The biggest issue for Naikai was durability, as his style took a heavy toll on his long, lanky frame. His career was limited to 14 seasons and he only had 200+ innings in eight of those. However, many people who saw Naikai work call him the best pitcher they’ve ever seen. He also stayed loyal to those who treated him well, helping him become a very popular player across Japan and in Fukuoka particularly.

Naikai’s entire career came with the Frogs, who picked him 13^th overall in the 2013 EAB Draft out of Koku Gakuin University in Yokohama. He debuted as a closer in 2014 with mixed results, leading the Japan League with 75 games pitched. Naikai had 40 saves and 2.9 ERA, but his 3.29 ERA and 98 Ks over 93 innings weren’t incredible.

He had a split starting-relief role the next year with stronger results with a 2.31 ERA, 5.2 WAR, and 258 Ks over 159.2 innings. For most of Naikai’s career, he had more of that split role than you’d expect from a traditional ace. In 2016, Naikai truly arrived with his first Pitcher of the Year season. He led the JL in ERA (1.10), strikeouts (386), WHIP (0.70), K/BB (16.8), FIP- (17), and WAR (14.3).

That season broke the EAB ERA record for a qualifying pitcher (162+ innings), besting Kazuhiro Kobayashi’s 1.31 which had held since 1924. It also broke the EAB record for WAR by a pitcher of 12.7 by Chikara Ohkubo in 1923 and tied the record for WHIP set in 1953 by Yeon-U Choo. At 18-4, Naikai missed the Triple Crown by one win. This season sometimes gets forgotten among EAB’s all-time best since Naikai would manage to do even better in later years.

Naikai had his first significant setback in mid-April 2017 with a torn meniscus in his knee, costing him 3-4 months. He only tossed 79 innings all season, but was still stellar with a 0.91 ERA. Earlier that year, he was third in Best Pitcher voting for the World Baseball Championship, allowing one run over two complete game wins with 39 strikeouts.

His dominance didn’t wane pitching for Japan in the WBC from 2016-25 with 170.2 innings, a 16-1 record, 1.37 ERA, 336 strikeouts, 40 walks, and 9.9 WAR. Among pitchers with 80+ innings in the WBC, Naikai ranks 13^th in ERA, 26^th in WHIP (0.69), 29^th in K/9 (17.7), and 24^th in opponent’s OPS (.446) as of 2037. Naikai also is 17^th in pitching WAR for the event and 66^th in strikeouts despite not being in the top 100 for innings. Japan’s deepest runs with Naikai was a third place in 2019.

Naikai’s 2016 was considered arguably EAB’s best-ever pitching season to date when it happened. In 2018, he topped it with arguably the best-ever in world history to that point. Naikai won his lone Triple Crown with a 21-6 record, 1.05 ERA, and 460 strikeouts. He broke his own EAB records for ERA, WHIP (0.62), and WAR (17.4), breaking EAB’s WAR record for any player. It was one of only 11 seasons in world baseball history of 17+ WAR by any player and was third-best among pure pitchers, only behind the 17.9 in 1936 and 17.6 in 1938 by world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos in Beisbol Sudamerica.

The 460 Ks was a new EAB record, passing Do-Kyun Lee’s 447 from three years prior. 460 Ks has only been met 38 times in world history as of 2037. Naikai’s 10 shutouts also was an EAB record and stands as also as one of only 38 seasons in world history of 10+ shutouts. Among them was EAB’s 36^th perfect game with 16 Ks facing Kitakyushu on May 8. Naikai easily won his second Pitcher of the Year and was second in MVP voting.

Naikai repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2019 with what would be a stellar season for most, although it was down from his own prior peaks. He led again in ERA (1.93), strikeouts (397), WHIP (0.66), FIP- (34), and WAR (10.3). Naikai tossed his second no-hitter in a 21 strikeout, one walk performance facing Chiba. That set the record for most Ks in a no-no in EAB history and was one strikeout away from the regulation single-game record in EAB. Naikai would reach 21 Ks twice in 2020 and had seven other 20 strikeout games in his career.

Fukuoka had their best season of his run at 87-76, missing the West Division on a tiebreaker game to Kitakyushu. The Frogs had been aggressively mid in the 2010s with no playoff berths, but an average of 80.5 wins per season. Any chance at breaking out would come with Naikai’s help and they gave him a seven-year, $140 million extension in January 2020.

Naikai’s 2018 effort was in the conversation for the best-ever pitching season in world history. It quickly fell out of the conversation though, as his 2020 amazingly surpassed it. Some would argue it was the best single-season by any player ever in baseball history. The only player who had a higher WAR was Chinese League Baseball two-way star Chuchuan Cao at 21.6 in 2013, who had 12.0 pitching WAR and 9.6 batting WAR that year.

The final line for Naikai in 2020: 240 innings, 0.64 ERA, 19-1 record, 7 saves, 445 strikeouts, 22 walks, 20.2 K/BB, 0.53 WHIP, 7 shutouts, 528 ERA+, 0 FIP-, and 18.5 WAR. The ERA, winning percentage (.950), triple slash (.131/.155/.197), OPS (.352), WHIP, H/9 (3.98), K/9 (16.69), and WAR were all EAB single-season records. Naikai won his fourth Pitcher of the Year and his lone Most Valuable Player, but did miss the Triple Crown by one win. From July 31 to August 31, Naikai notably tossed 46 consecutive scoreless innings. He also had a 27-game undefeated streak from May 29, 2020 to May 25, 2021.

Such rate stats had only been seen in the extremely low-scoring leagues like CLB or Austronesia Professional Baseball; reaching them in a more average scoring environment like the Japan League was insanity. Naikai’s ERA was a world record by any qualifying starter ever, topping the previous best of 0.71 by CLB’s Zhiyuan Lai in 1975.

Naikai’s WHIP was also a world record, one point better than Ching-Chen Yao and Favian Frias both from APB in 2014. Naikai beat Yao’s record .156 opponent’s OBP from 2014. He was just behind Yao’s .322 OPS from the world record, while ranking as the 3^rd-best opponent’s slugging, 6^th-best opponent’s batting average, 2^nd-best K/9, and 5^th-best H/9.

On regular season performance alone, it is a rock solid case for the best-ever pitching season, but Naikai was a beast in the playoffs too. Fukuoka finished 89-73 to end a ten-year playoff drought and got to the JLCS, although they fell to 102-60 Osaka. In his four playoff starts, Naikai had a 0.34 ERA over 26.1 innings with 51 strikeouts and 2.0 WAR; one of only three 2+ WAR seasons by an EAB pitcher in the playoffs to that point and one of four 50 K efforts. He was let down with three unearned runs and little run support, getting one win and three no decisions.

Naikai never replicated that insanity, but he remained a complete beast. He won his fifth Pitcher of the Year and again led in ERA (1.06), strikeouts (358), WHIP (0.66), FIP- (30), and WAR (10.5). Fukuoka was 98-64 and lost in the first round of the playoffs with Naikai missing the final weeks to a strained triceps.

He won his sixth POTY (fifth consecutive) in 2022 and was second in MVP voting by again leading in ERA (1.53), strikeouts (415), WHIP (0.60), K/BB (21.8), FIP- (17), and WAR (12.5). Naikai’s 17.65 K/9 broke his own EAB record from 2020 and set the new world record among qualified starters, topping Ching-Chen Yao’s 16.9 from 2012 in APB. He tossed his third no-hitter in a 19 strikeout performance versus Kumamoto on May 10.

Finally, Fukuoka broke through with a 110-52 record, the second-best in Frogs history behind the 111-51 effort in 1929 that resulted in their only EAB title to that point. Fukuoka downed Daegu to win their second EAB crown in 2022 with Naikai unsurprisingly dominating in the playoffs. He had a 1.03 ERA over 35 innings with 64 strikeouts, 2.0 WAR, and a 3-0 record. That set the EAB playoff record for strikeouts, which still holds as of 2037. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Naikai was merely very good with a 2.43 ERA and 3-2 record, 59 strikeouts, 33.1 innings, and 1.1 WAR. Fukuoka finished 11-8, one of five teams at the mark, officially placing fourth after tiebreakers.

On April 6, 2023, Naikai had his fourth no-hitter with 17 strikeouts and one walk facing Hiroshima. This tied 1920s ace Zeshin Saito for the most no-nos in EAB history. The season had its challenges with a herniated disc and wrist soreness keeping him out essentially for the entire fall. Still, Naikai joined Yu-Geon Moon as the only seven-time Pitcher of the Year winners in EAB history, winning the honor for the sixth year in a row.

Naikai had a 1.04 ERA, although his 147.2 innings were too few to officially earn an ERA title. He struck out 282 and led in WAR for the seventh time at 10.3. Naikai missed the playoff run, but Fukuoka finished 95-67 and defeated Busan to repeat as EAB champs. He did make it back for the BGC, which saw the Frogs finish at 7-12. In 20.2 innings, Naikai had a 1.74 ERA with 38 Ks. Unfortunately for the now 31-year old Naikai, that was his last truly great season.

In 2024, he missed four months to a ruptured finger tendon, although he was still excellent in the 61.2 innings he did pitch with a 1.02 ERA and 116 Ks. Naikai did have two quality starts in the playoffs, which saw a first round exit for the Frogs despite the #1 seed at 104-58. Fukuoka made the playoffs the next two years, but couldn’t win a series. Naikai tossed eight scoreless innings in 2025, but was out for the 2026 run.

For his playoff career, Naikai had a 0.75 ERA over 84.1 innings, 6-1 record, 138 strikeouts, 9 walks, 450 ERA+, 30 FIP-, and 4.7 WAR. His ERA ranks 4^th among any EAB pitcher in the playoffs (minimum 30 innings). Naikai also ranks 7^th in pitching playoff WAR. He certainly stepped up in the big games in his relatively limited chances.

After the ruptured finger tendon, Naikai’s stuff fell off noticeably. While he didn’t lose any velocity, his legendary curveball had nowhere near as much bite moving forward. Still, his 2025 would be a great season for mortal pitchers, even if it was weak by his standards. Naikai had an 18-6 record, 2.68 ERA, 241.2 innings, 273 strikeouts, and 7.4 WAR.

In 2026, Naikai saw a 3.23 ERA in 231.1 innings, 264 strikeouts, and 6.3 WAR; again numbers most pitchers would love but were far away from his previous peaks. In late September, Naikai suffered bone chips in his elbow to put him out 5-6 months. In 2027, a strained abdominal muscle in spring training would limit him initially.

Naikai looked quite average in 2027 with a 3.36 ERA over 177 innings with 178 Ks and 3.0 WAR. He did become the 19^th to reach 4000 strikeouts and 69^th to 200 wins, but it seemed clear that he wasn’t going to re-write the accumulations leaderboards. Naikai wasn’t satisfied with being average and retired that winter at only age 35. Fukuoka immediately retired his #1 uniform, a fitting number for a guy who was arguably the best in the world at his peak.

The final tallies for Naikai saw a 202-67 record, 126 saves, 1.80 ERA, 2544.1 innings, 4054 strikeouts, 365 walks, 239/290 quality starts, 83 complete games, 37 shutouts, 188 ERA+, 36 FIP-, and 126.7 WAR. As of 2037 for counting stats, Naikai ranks 71^st in wins, 18^th in strikeouts, 12^th in shutouts, 3^rd in pitching WAR, and 11^th in WAR among all EAB players.

Naikai is 2^nd among all EAB pitchers with 1000+ innings in ERA, behind only legendary closer and EAB saves leader Oki Tanaka’s 1.77. Naikai is EAB’s career leader in winning percentage (.751), K/9 (14.34), WHIP (0.78), and opponent’s OBP (.213). His .492 opponent’s OPS is behind only Tanaka and Naikai ranks 4^th in batting average (.179), 4^th in slugging (.279), and 4^th in H/9 (5.71). In terms of single-season accolades in EAB, Naikai has the top three pitching seasons by WAR, the top four for ERA, and the #1, #3, #6, and 8 seasons for strikeouts.

When you compare Naikai’s rate stats to other starters in world history, he stacks up remarkably. Among world Hall of Famer starters, Naikai is 8^th in ERA, 2^nd in winning percentage, tied for 2^nd in ERA+, 2^nd in FIP, 6^th in WHIP, and 5^th in opponents’ OPS. He’s only being Ching-Chen Yao for FIP- (31) and is even with him for ERA+, behind only Bogdan Chirita’s 189 (who notably only had eight official years). Most of the few other guys ahead of Naikai in rate stats are like Yao in that they pitched in far lower-scoring leagues.

Within East Asia Baseball, many argue Naikai is the greatest pitcher of all time. The only guys with more or comparable WAR needed a lot more innings to get there. Naikai is one of two with 7+ POTY wins, one of two with four no-hitters, has two EAB championship rings, leads all starters in ERA, and has arguably the three-best seasons ever by an EAB pitcher. Not many scholars place him as EAB’s best player outright, as the more tenured top sluggers usually are believed to have more value.

Where does Naikai fit in the world conversation for greatest-ever pitcher? He ranks 52^nd in pitching WAR, but every other guy with 125+ WAR needed at least 3000+ innings to do it with the lion’s share above 4000+ innings. Naikai pulled it off in just over 2500 innings. Only one other pitcher who reached 100+ WAR had less than 3000 innings.

If you ask for the most efficient starting pitcher in baseball history, often Naikai or the before-mentioned Ching-Chen Yao are the first names to pop up. Yao got to 163.5 WAR in 3245.1 innings and was also a playoff beast for APB’s Zamboanga, often giving him the edge over Naikai for scholars. When weighing the great pitchers on the whole, guys who were studs and tossed 5000+ innings like Mohamed Ramos, Ulices Montero, and Akira Brady often take center stage in the rankings.

In any case, Naikai was one of baseball’s true immortals, often cited as East Asia Baseball’s best-ever pitcher and/or the best-ever Japanese ace. His 2020 and 2018 efforts will forever stand as examples of the most dominant single seasons by a pitcher in the entire history of the professional game. At somehow only 97.8%, Naikai headlined an impressive four-player 2033 Hall of Fame class for EAB.

Masaru Ochiai – First Base – Kobe Blaze – 92.6% First Ballot

Masaru Ochiai was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from Tahara, Japan; a city of 60,000 in the Aichi Prefecture. Ochiai was one of the most reliable sluggers of his era, hitting 40+ home runs and 100+ RBI both nine different times. His 162 game average got you 41 dingers along with 23 doubles and 4 triples. Ochiai’s speed was lousy and baserunning was poor, so you weren’t going to get much value with his legs.

He graded as a very good contact hitter against both sides, although he was merely average for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Ochiai was equally dangerous against right-handed pitching (.907 OPS, 170 wRC+) and versus lefties (.925 OPS, 177 wRC+). His durability was mostly good over a 17-year career with all but one start at first base. Ochiai also graded as a reliably solid and positive value defender. Those skills and an impressive work ethic pushed him to an all-time great career.

Ochiai was a rare player to be drafted highly directly out of high school, thriving at Aichi Shogyo in Nagoya. His size and power were evident even as a teenager, getting picked fourth overall in the 2006 EAB Draft by Kobe. The Blaze kept him primarily in their developmental system for his first five years as a pro. From 2007-11, Ochiai started only 18 games and played in 87. He was a full-timer on the 2012 roster and started 106 games, although he was merely decent with 1.8 WAR and .726 OPS.

In 2013, Ochiai got the full-time gig and had his first of seven seasons worth 7+ WAR, earning his first Silver Slugger. 2014 was his first time as a league leader with a .659 slugging percentage. He won additional Sluggers in 2015 and 2016 for the Blaze. In 2015, Ochiai led the Japan League with 48 home runs, 355 total bases, and a career-high 136 RBI.

In 2016, Ochiai scored his lone MVP, leading the Japan League with career bests for homers (56), total bases (413), OBP (.391), slugging (.685), OPS (1.076), wRC+ (215), and WAR (10.5). Ochiai also had his career best for runs (104), and batting average (.335) while leading in RBI at 133. Kobe made it back above .500 from 2014-16 after mostly losing seasons in the prior decade, but never made the playoffs with Ochiai.

Following his banner year, Ochiai shockingly had what would be his worst year of his career as a full-time starter with 3.3 WAR, 122 wRC+, and .746 OPS. It was a bad time to struggle as it was a contract year. Worried that Ochiai might be cooked at only age 29, Kobe let Ochiai leave for free agency. He remained very popular though with Blaze fans and would later be inducted in the red and gold. Ochiai’s #31 uniform would also eventually be retired.

For Kobe, Ochiai played 1017 games with 1037 hits, 535 runs, 152 doubles, 261 home runs, 633 RBI, .294/.346/.574 slash, 172 wRC+, and 40.4 WAR. It was his longest tenure by games and years, but arguably his next run was his most famous. Ochiai was happy to get inducted with the Blaze though, since they gave him his big break. But he also would have fond memories with Kyoto, who signed him for 2018 on a six-year, $66 million deal.

The bad 2017 season certainly tanked his value, as he had been making above $20 million in his last two Kobe seasons from arbitration. The $11 million per year was a steal for Kyoto, as Ochiai returned to form. He won Silver Sluggers in 2019 and 2020, notably leading the league in the latter in hits (204), RBI (132), and total bases (390). That was also Ochiai’s best year for the Kamikaze for most stats including homers (50), runs (102), OPS (1.008), wRC+ (206), and WAR (8.8).

Kyoto had a dynasty run to start the decade with three EAB titles from 2010-14, but they had fallen into perpetual averageness since. In 2020, the Kamikaze had an impressive 100-62 season, but that was still not enough to dethrone eventual EAB champ Osaka (102-60) from the Central Division throne. The Orange Sox had gone on a six-year playoff streak since Kyoto’s 2014 title.

In 2021, the Kamikaze returned to form with the Japan League’s best record at 105-57. Kyoto went onto win the pennant and defeat Changwon for the EAB title. Ochiai cemented his legacy as finals MVP, getting 20 hits, 11 runs, 5 homers, and 15 RBI over 18 playoff starts. He also had a strong showing in the Baseball Grand Championship with 21 hits, 16 runs, 5 doubles, 9 homers, and 19 RBI over 19 starts. Kyoto finished 10-9 in the event, tying for ninth.

Kyoto got back to the JCLS in 2022, but couldn’t overcome a 110-win Fukuoka squad. Ochiai ended up missing the postseason run to plantar fasciitis. He earned his 500^th homer and 2000^th hit in 2023, but the Kamikaze missed the playoffs at 87-75. It was his weakest season of the six-year run, but was still rock solid with 43 homers, .851 OPS, and 4.8 WAR.

For Kyoto, Ochiai had 929 games, 1011 hits, 550 runs, 139 doubles, 260 home runs, 636 RBI, .296/.352/.579 slash, 180 wRC+, and 40.8 WAR. The deal was certainly a winner for the Kamikaze and Ochiai remained well-liked by Kyoto fans for years after. Now a free agent again and 35-years old, Ochiai signed for $40,200,000 over three years with Sapporo.

Ochiai maintained similar stats in all three years with the Swordfish to his final season with Kyoto, making him a very solid starter. He missed a month in the fall to a concussion in 2024, but was healthy and critical for the postseason. Sapporo won a weak North Division at 84-78, but went on a surprise playoff tear. They upset Tokyo in the JLCS, then defeated Busan for the EAB Championship; their first since 1998.

For the second time in his career, Ochiai was finals MVP. In 12 playoff starts, Ochiai had 19 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 10 RBI, and 1.303 OPS. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had 19 hits, 13 runs, 11 homers, 20 RBI, and 1.8 WAR; although Sapporo struggled to 7-12 despite his efforts.

The Swordfish missed the playoffs by four wins in 2025, but made it back in 2026 with another surprise title run. Sapporo ousted Hiroshima in the JLCS and topped Incheon to win their second EAB Championship in three years. Ochiai only had four playoff games because of a hip strain and was unremarkable in the BGC with a .640 OPS and 0.3 WAR over 19 starts. The Swordfish finished 6-13 for the 2026 event.

In Ochiai’s limited playoff career though, he was excellent with 34 starts, 43 hits, 24 runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 9 homers, 26 RBI, .331/.387/.608 slash, 203 wRC+, and 2.1 WAR. In three seasons with Sapporo, Ochiai had 422 games, 412 hits, 225 runs, 65 doubles, 109 home runs, 259 RBI, .271/.326/.543 slash, 161 wRC+, and 15.2 WAR. In 2026, he joined the exclusive 600 home run and 1500 RBI clubs.

Ochiai’s production had been steady, earning a three-year, $34,800,000 deal with Osaka even at age 38. He declined sharply though and was used as a pinch hitter and backup in 2027 with .682 OPS, 87 wRC+, and 0.1 WAR. Ochiai opted to retire after one season with the Orange Sox at age 39.

The final stats for Ochiai: 2511 games, 2493 hits, 1324 runs, 360 doubles, 61 triples, 635 home runs, 1557 RBI, 655 walks, 1872 strikeouts, .290/.344/.568 slash, 172 wRC+, and 96.5 WAR. As of 2037, Ochiai ranks 83^rd in games, 89^th in runs, 55^th in total bases (4880), 32^nd in homers, 42^nd in RBI, and 38^th in WAR among position players. His .912 OPS is 94^th among all batters with 3000+ plate appearances and his slugging is a nice 69^th.

Ochiai probably falls just short of being an “inner-circle” level Hall of Famer, but few guys got you more reliable power throughout the 2010s and 2020s in East Asia Baseball. That and his role in titles for both Kyoto and Sapporo made Ochiai an easy choice for the Hall of Fame voters. Ochiai received 92.6%, the second of four additions in a very impressive 2033 class.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-01-2025, 06:29 AM

Yun-Jae Paek – Starting Pitcher – Seongnam Spiders – 90.4% First Ballot

Yun-Jae Paek was a 6’2’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Gwangju, South Korea; the country’s sixth-largest metropolis with 1,411,000 people. Excellent pinpoint control was Paek’s biggest skill, carrying him to great success despite having merely above average-to-good stuff and movement. Paek did reach 97-99 mph with his sinker and splitter, although his curveball was his strongest pitch. He also had a decent changeup for a fourth option.

Compared to most EAB aces, Paek’s stamina was considered fairly average, but his ironman durability more than made up for that. He missed a combined three days in his career to injury and tossed 200+ innings in all 15 of his pro seasons. Paek was solid at holding runners, but weak defensively otherwise. He wasn’t book smart, but he was an impressive pitcher and one of South Korea’s more well-known aces of his era.

Part of the notoriety nationwide came from his appearances in the World Baseball Championship from 2015-26. Paek’s stats on the world stage were merely okay though with a 3.65 ERA in 69 innings, 4-4 record, 89 strikeouts, and 0.8 WAR. He would earn a reputation though as a big game pitcher through his run with Seongnam. After a fine tenure at Seoul’s Hongik University, Paek was picked third overall by the Spiders in the 2012 EAB Draft.

Paek was a full-time starter right away and held that role 13 seasons with Seongnam. He helped turn things around for the Spiders, who had posted back-to-back 100 loss seasons prior to his arrival. They still stunk his rookie year, but became a contender with playoff berths in 2014-15, then from 2017-20. In 2014, the Spiders as the second wild card at 89-73 stunned the field by winning the Korea League Championship Series against Gwangju. They would take the L to Kyoto in the EAB Championship.

Paek had a solid postseason in his sophomore campaign with a 2.87 ERA over 37.2 innings with 41 strikeouts. He was then excellent in the Baseball Grand Championship despite Seongnam’s 8-11 finish, posting a 1.87 ERA over 33.2 innings with 32 Ks. The Spiders got back to the KLCS in 2015 as the #1 seed, but were upset by Ulsan. Seongnam missed the 2016 field by one win, but Paek emerged as a top ace by taking third in Pitcher of the Year voting on an 8.5 WAR effort. This also saw his career bests for ERA (2.33) and strikeouts (299).

In May 2016, Seongnam signed Paek to a five-year, $52,900,000 extension. He took third in 2019’s Pitcher of the Year voting, then earned his only award win in 2020. 2019 had seen his career-best 8.6 WAR with a 2.48 ERA, but 2020 saw him lead in wins (21-10) while posting a 2.63 ERA and 7.8 WAR. The Spiders lost in the first round of the 2017 playoffs, then won back-to-back pennants in 2018-19. They dropped the 2018 EAB Championship to Osaka, but won it all in 2019 facing Kawasaki.

Paek had nice playoff runs with a 2.45 ERA over 33 innings in 2018 and 2.48 ERA over 40 innings in 2019. He also kept rolling in the BGC with a 1.71 ERA over 31.2 innings in 2018 and 2.27 ERA in 31.2 innings for 2019. Seongnam was 11-8 in 2018, officially sixth after tiebreakers. They struggled to 7-12 in 2019, but Paek’s career stats against the world’s best were stellar. He had a 7-0 record, 1.95 ERA, 97 innings, 107 strikeouts, and 3.3 WAR in the BGC.

Seongnam lost in the first round in 2020, then had a three-year playoff drought despite remaining above .500. Paek declined his contract option after the 2020 campaign, but inked a new six-year, $115,800,000 deal with Seongnam. In 2024, Paek took second in Pitcher of the Year voting, leading for the only time in WAR (8.1) and for the first time in FIP- (63). He led in FIP- again in 2025 with a career-best 58.

The Spiders got back to the playoffs in 2024, but Paek got rocked in his one start and they lost in the first round. Seongnam then fell off a cliff to 68-94 in 2025, marking the start of a rebuild. Paek’s playoff numbers for the Spiders were respectable, albeit less dominant than his BGC stats. In 21 starts, he had a 3.40 ERA, 8-8 record, 156.1 innings, 139 strikeouts, 23 walks, 112 ERA+, and 2.7 WAR.

With the rebuild on after the dismal 2025 season, Seongnam traded Paek in the offseason for three prospects to Busan. One of them, Seung-Gin Youn, would be a decent starter in the 2030s for the Spiders. For Paek, his Spiders stats saw a 207-135 record, 2.97 ERA, 3189 innings, 3224 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, 74 FIP- and 84.6 WAR. He remained a popular figure for his role in multiple pennants and his #28 uniform would soon be retired.

The Blue Jays were in the midst of a six-year playoff streak, having won the KL pennant in 2023 and 2024. Busan had an all-time season upon Paek’s arrival in 2026 at 119-43, but suffered a shocking divisional series upset loss to Gwangju. The Blue Jays again were the #1 seed in 2027 with 97 wins, but again went one-and-done.

Paek did his job in the two seasons with a 30-21 record, 3.32 ERA, 455.1 innings, 419 strikeouts, 29 walks, 112 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 11.5 WAR. He also had a quality start in the 2026 playoffs, but didn’t get used in 2027. Busan had given Paek a three-year, $66,600,000 extension after the 2026 season. His strong control made him still viable in 2027, but his velocity had plummeted from an upper 90s peak to the 88-90 mph range. Paek opted to retire after the 2027 campaign at age 36.

In total, Paek had a 237-156 record, 3.01 ERA, 3644.1 innings, 3643 strikeouts, 435 walks, 296/462 quality starts, 111 complete games, 24 shutouts, 125 ERA+, 74 FIP-, and 96.1 WAR.. As of 2037, Paek ranks 25^th in wins, 40^th in innings, 94^th in complete games, 74^th in shutouts, 35^th in strikeouts, and 16^th in pitching WAR. His 1.07 BB/9 ranks 16^th among all pitchers with 1000+ innings.

Paek likely comes up just short of the Hall of Fame’s inner-circle, but very few doubted his credentials for a spot. He was rock solid-to-great over 15 years and a key reason Seongnam won three Korea League titles and an EAB title. Paek received 90.4% for a first ballot induction, the third of four in the 2033 class for East Asia Baseball.

Ji-Hwan “Bump” Kim – Left Field – Jeonju Jethawks – 67.2% First Ballot

Ji-Hwan Kim, was a 6’3’’, 205 pound switch-hitting left fielder from Nonsan, South Korea; a city with around 109,000 people. Nicknamed “Bump,” Kim was known for having a steady pop in his bat with a 162 game average of 35 home runs, 25 doubles, 10 triples, and 95 RBI. He was generally an above average contact hitter, but his ability to draw walks and avoid strikeouts were both merely okay.

Kim fared much better against right-handed pitching with a career .931 OPS and 150 wRC+. Against lefties, he was middling with a .733 OPS and 103 wRC+. Kim had good speed and was a very skilled baserunner and thief. He made almost all of his starts in left field, apart from occasional play as a designated hitter. On the whole, Kim graded as a reliably average defender.

His durability was ironman level, playing 139+ games each year from 2015-27. Kim only missed games in his initial years due to talent/performance, not to injury. Few guys worked harder, becoming a fan favorite through his strong work ethic, great intelligence, loyalty, and selflessness.

Kim attended Woosung High School and earned lots of attention even then, getting picked fourth overall by Jeonju in the 2009 EAB Draft. He signed with the Jethawks instead of leaving for college, spending all of 2010 in their academy. Kim debuted in 2011 at age 19, but wasn’t ready with -0.5 WAR and .613 OPS in 66 games and 26 starts. He was rostered full-time the next four years, but his starts were limited mostly to platoon duty with decent production.

In 2016 at age 24, Kim finally earned the full-time starting job and held it through 2021 for Jeonju. 2016 saw 114 runs, 51 homers, 131 RBI, 1.045 OPS, and 10.1 WAR, earning his first Silver Slugger and a second place in MVP voting. That June, the Jethawks gave Kim a five-year, $59,300,000 extension. Kim won additional Sluggers for Jeonju from 2019-21. Jeonju was mostly mid-tier during his time, averaging 82.9 wins per season in Kim’s tenure. Their lone playoff trips were wild cards and first round exits in 2016 and 2021.

Kim’s best season by most metrics was 2011, his first MVP win. It was his first time as a league leader with career bests in runs (138), RBI (129), slugging (.683), OPS (1.082), and WAR (10.4). Kim also had his career high 52 home runs, .326 average, and .399 OBP. The 138 runs scored rank tied for the 6^th-best single season in EAB history as of 2037. This was also a contract year for Kim, who ultimately couldn’t come to terms on a new deal with Jeonju.

For the Jethawks, Kim played 1498 games with 1382 hits, 852 runs, 214 doubles, 82 triples, 322 home runs, 862 RBI, 506 steals, .286/.339/.565 slash, 142 wRC+, and 50.1 WAR. Although the era was forgettable for Jeonju, fans remembered Kim fondly and he maintained a good relationship with the organization. His #9 uniform would be retired at the end of his career.

Now 30-years old, Kim signed a six-year, $112,800,000 deal with Incheon. He repeated as Korea League MVP in his Inferno debut and won another Slugger, leading in runs (125), and total bases (366). Kim didn’t reach those heights in his later years, but he remained a solid starter for the next four years, winning Silver Sluggers in both 2023 and 2024.

Incheon ended a seven-year playoff drought in 2022 at 94-68 and got to the KLCS, although they were defeated by Daegu. Incheon stayed above .500 the next two years, but fell short of the playoffs. They then fell to 70-92, making some wonder if a rebuild was imminent. The Inferno surprised many by winning a weak North Division at 88-74. They upset 105-win Ulsan in the divisional series, then beat Gwangju for a surprise KL pennant. Incheon fell to Sapporo in the EAB Championship.

Kim had struggled for much of 2026 with only 0.9 WAR and .716 OPS as a full-time starter. He hadn’t fared better in the playoffs with a putrid .390 OPS and -0.5 WAR in 14 games. Kim was less lousy but still unimpressive with .624 OPS and 0 WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship as Incheon took last outright at 4-15. His early successes earned Kim the benefit of the doubt to remain a starter for 2027.

He bounced back from his lousy 2026, but was merely decent at .792 OPS, 122 wRC+, and 2.5 WAR. Incheon finished 97-65 and repeated as Korea League champs, falling to Niigata for the EAB title. Kim fared better in the playoffs with .855 OPS and 0.4 WAR in 12 games and 6 starts. For his limited playoff career, he had 42 games, 35 starts, 38 hits, 19 runs, 3 doubles, 7 triples, 5 homers, 18 RBI, 17 steals, .270/.329/.496 slash, 125 wRC+, and 1.5 WAR.

Kim’s deal was set to expire and it seemed his time as a starter was likely at or near the end. He opted to retire at age 36 and didn’t participate in the 2027 BGC. For Incheon, Kim finished with 919 games, 931 hits, 545 runs, 166 doubles, 68 triples, 198 home runs, 548 RBI, 269 steals, .271/.318/.532 slash, 132 wRC+, and 26.0 WAR.

The final stats for Kim had 2417 games, 2313 hits, 1397 runs, 380 doubles, 150 triples, 520 home runs, 1410 RBI, 589 walks, 2107 strikeouts, 775 stolen bases, .280/.331/.551 slash, 138 wRC+, and 76.1 WAR. As of 2037, Kim ranks 64^th in runs, 81^st in total bases (4553), 69^th in home runs, 77^th in RBI, and 76^th in steals. He misses the top 100 in WAR for position players.

Kim’s accumulations were admittedly a bit borderline and his advanced stats weren’t overwhelming either. However, two MVPs and seven Silver Sluggers were accolades not many guys could lay claim to. Kim was also such a likeable guy, which helped him get the benefit of the doubt with some skeptical voters. He debuted at 67.2%, which was just barely beyond the 66% induction requirement. Regardless, Kim could say he was a first ballot Hall of Fame, capping off an impressive four-player 2033 class for East Asia Baseball.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-01-2025, 04:10 PM

For the first time in its history, Beisbol Sudamerica had a five-player Hall of Fame class in 2033. It was arguably the strongest-ever class for BSA with all five guys on the first ballot. Three would be surefire inner-circle type headliners in basically any year with 2B Daniel Schafer at 98.8%, SP Ivan Sandoval at 98.5%, and 3B Niccolo Coelho at 98.2%.

1B Carlos Ulibarri got in with his own firm 85.5%, while 1B/DH Sebastian Nazario was the weakest at 72.4%. Two other debuts were above 50%, but short of the 66% required for induction. LF Francisco Serrata had 56.1% and CF Ronaldo Gonzalez got 55.5%. The best returner was LF Sam Rubio at 41.8% for his third ballot.

Dropped after ten failed ballots was CF Lucas Cordeiro, who peaked with a 43.7% debut and ended at only 10.1%. He won six Silver Sluggers and was the 2004 MVP with Rio de Janeiro, helping them to a Copa Sudamerica win in 2003. Cordeiro seemed on pace in the front end, but declined in his mid 30s. He then left for four seasons in West Africa Baseball before playing one final season back in Brazil with Recife.

In BSA, Cordeiro played 1875 games with 2098 hits, 1151 runs, 280 doubles, 255 triples, 333 home runs, 947 RBI, .298/.333/.553 slash, 146 wRC+, and 60.9 WAR. Adding the WAB years gets him to 68.1 WAR, 2684 hits, 1436 runs, 413 home runs, and 1268 RBU. Cordeiro needed a few more good seasons of accumulations or maybe one or two more exceptional years to bolster his resume. A fine career no doubt, but Cordeiro ended up banished to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Daniel “Tall One” Schafer – Second Base – Manaus Magpies – 98.8% First Ballot

Daniel Schafer was a 6’0’’, 205 pound right-handed second baseman from Camacari, Brazil; a city of 304,000 people within the Salvador metropolitan area. The nickname “Tall One” didn’t come from his actual unremarkable height, but his love of a postgame beer. Schafer’s contact ability was graded as a 10/10 for most of his career by scouts. He also had an excellent eye for walks and was better than most at avoiding strikeouts.

Schafer was especially a menace facing left-handed pitching with a stellar career 1.133 OPS and 211 wRC+. He was certainly still strong against righties with a .960 OPS and 167 wRC+. Schafer also got you plenty of extra base hits with a 162 game average of 28 doubles, 10 triples, and 30 home runs. His speed and baserunning ability both graded as just below average.

The vast majority of Schafer’s starts came at second base. He graded as a subpar defender, but he wasn’t a complete liability and he was well beyond most batters that could play the spot. Schafer tried shortstop as a rookie and was terrible there and he also played some designated hitter at the end. He had a few big injuries, but mostly held up over 17 years.

Schafer became absolutely beloved both for his abilities and for his high character. He was known for his work ethic, leadership, and intelligence. He quickly became an icon of Brazilian baseball, especially through his efforts in the World Baseball Championship. From 2011-25, Schafer played 191 games with 197 hits, 101 runs, 36 doubles, 41 homers, 105 RBI, .291/.394/.540 slash, and 9.5 WAR.

With Schafer’s help, Brazil won division titles in 2014, 2016, 2021, and 2025. They took third in 2016, won the world championship in 2021, and was runner-up to Spain in 2025. Schafer was second in Tournament MVP voting in the 2021 title run, posting 29 hits, 18 runs, 5 doubles, 11 homers, 22 RBI, 16 RBI, 1.139 OPS, and 2.0 WAR in 27 starts. He also notably had a 43-game on-base steak that lasted from 2012 to 2017 in the WBC and a 23-game hitting streak between the 2014-17 editions.

Schafer was arguably the best overall prospect entered into Beisbol Sudamerica’s 2010 Draft and went #2 overall to Manaus. The Magpies had only just joined the Southern Cone League in the 2009 expansion and Schafer emerged as their first superstar. He was a full-time starter right away, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. From 2012-21, all but one season for Manaus was worth 8+ WAR, and the one year that wasn’t (2016) was because of a severely strained hip muscle in July.

In 2013, Schafer won his first MVP and Silver Slugger, leading the league in the triple slash (.380/.435/.693), OPS (1.128), wRC+ (222), and WAR (11.7). The slugging, OPS, wRC+, and WAR would be career bests, as was his 18 triples and 39 home runs. He would have an OPS above one in seven seasons with the Magpies, Apart from his rookie year, he always had an OBP of .415 or better and never had a batting average below .347.

Schafer won the batting title again in 2015 at .392 and led in OBP (.452), wRC+ (211), and WAR (10.5). He was the OBP leader again in 2017, 2019, and 2021 for the Magpies. Schafer inked an eight-year, $85,300,000 extension with Manaus after the 2017 season. That year saw the Magpies’ first-ever playoff berth and division title at 92-70, although they lost in the divisional round. They hoped with Schafer at the helm that they would start to contend regularly, but Manaus hovered just below .500 generally for the next decade.

Despite Schafer’s talents, Silver Sluggers were actually hard to come by since he shared a league and position with nine-time winner Antonio Arceo throughout the 2010s. Schafer won four total with Manaus, earning the honor in 2013, 18, 20, and 21. He was second in 2020’s MVP voting, then won the top award for the second time in 2021.

2021 was Schafer’s third batting title and his career-best .399 average, the fifth-best single-season to that point in BSA. He led in OBP for the fifth time and both WAR and wRC+ for the third time. Even still, the Magpies were stuck in the middle tier and Schafer wanted to play for a contender. At age 34, he opted out of the remaining portion of his Manaus contract and left for free agency.

In 11 seasons with the Magpies, Schafer had 1656 games, 2244 hits, 1059 runs, 282 doubles, 122 triples, 334 home runs, 1044 RBI, 613 walks, 277 stolen bases, .368/.424/.619 slash, 195 wRC+, and 97.7 WAR. Manaus fans were sad to see him go, but Schafer still remained extremely popular there and throughout Brazil. His #27 uniform would later be retired in the same ceremony as closer Matt Gomes’ #20.

Schafer made the move to the Venezuelan capital on a five-year, $74,800,000 deal with Caracas. The Colts had won five consecutive division titles with five straight 100+ win seasons, but they had struggled to get over the playoff hump. They lost in the Bolivar League Championship Series in 2018 and 19, the latter despite a 117-win season. In 2020, Caracas was a one-and-done even with a 110-52 record. They hoped that Schafer could make the difference to get them across the line.

It proved a worthy investment, although Schafer never hit the production of his Manaus peaks. His first two years were rock solid, leading in OBP again in 2022. Caracas finished 114-48 and went all the way, defeating Fortaleza in the 2022 Copa Sudamerica. In 14 playoff starts, Schafer had 19 hits, 5 runs, 2 doubles, 5 homers, and 16 RBI.

Schafer then shined on the Baseball Grand Championship stage, finishing third in MVP voting with 29 hits, 11 runs, 5 doubles, 6 homers, 14 RBI, 1.206 OPS, and 1.7 WAR. Caracas finished 13-6 and had the tiebreaker over Kampala, becoming the first Grand Champion for South America.

Caracas was 100-62 in 2023 and repeated as Copa Sudamerica winners, this time besting Concepcion in the final. Schafer was finals MVP with 24 hits, 12 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, and 9 RBI over 19 playoff starts. He was again solid in the BGC with 16 hits, 14 runs, 6 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, 8 RBI, 1.062 OPS, and 1.3 WAR over 19 games. The Colts’ repeat bid was thwarted, but they still finished a very respectable fourth place at 12-7.

The dynasty run ended there for Caracas, although they stayed above .500 for the rest of the 2020s. The Colts won division titles from 2025-28, but never got out of the divisional series. Schafer began to sharply decline, beginning with a torn abdominal muscle in 2024. He would move to DH in 2025 and put up merely decent hitting stats moving forward. 2026 would be Schafer’s only season with a sub-.300 batting average at .284.

Schafer was still popular, earning his 3000^th hit in June 2026. Caracas gave him a two-year, $12,600,000 extension, but he’d miss the final weeks of 2027 to plantar fasciitis. Schafer didn’t meet the vesting criteria and entered free agency for 2028. He hoped to still play, but went unsigned all year and eventually retired shortly after his 41^stbirthday. For Caracas, Schafer finished with 800 games, 992 hits, 479 runs, 143 doubles, 29 triples, 117 home runs, 455 RBI, 298 walks, .334/.393/.520 slash, 140 wRC+, and 23.0 WAR.

In total, Schafer had 2456 games, 3236 hits, 1538 runs, 425 doubles, 151 triples, 451 home runs, 1499 RBI, 911 walks, 1407 strikeouts, 364 steals, .357/.414/.586 slash, 177 wRC+, and 120.7 WAR. As of 2037, Schafer ranks 78^th in games, 21^st in runs, 10^th in hits, 20^th in total bases (5316), 69^th in doubles, 43^rd in RBI, 32^nd in walks, and 13^th in WAR among position players.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances in Beisbol Sudamerica, Schafer ranks 10^th in batting average, 7^th in OBP, 67^th in slugging, and his 1.000 OPS is 18^th. Amongst the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, Schafer is 5^th in average, 7^th in OBP, and 47^th in OPS. By any metrics, he was one of the most efficient hitters of all-time.

Schafer’s tallies alone make him an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but his role in back-to-back Copa Sudamerica wins and a Grand Championship for Caracas place him near the game’s immortals. Schafer received 98.8%, the highest vote percentage in an absolutely loaded five-player 2033 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-02-2025, 09:02 AM

Ivan “Dragon” Sandoval – Starting Pitcher – Montevideo Venom – 98.5% First Ballot

Ivan Sandoval was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Presidente Franco, Paraguay; a city with about 105,000 people near the southeastern border near Argentina and Brazil. Nicknamed “The Dragon, Sandoval was known for having excellent control of his arsenal along with good-to-great stuff and movement. His velocity peaked in the 96-98 mph range with a curveball, changeup, sinker, splitter arsenal. All four options were equally potent and he had an extreme groundball tendency.

Compared to other BSA aces, Sandoval’s stamina was below average and he didn’t go the distance as often. Despite finishing in the top 20 all-time for innings, h Sandoval didn’t make the top 100 for complete games. However, his excellent durability meant you could rely on plenty of innings each year across his 19-year run. Sandoval’s biggest flaw was he was terrible at holding runners, but fortunately he didn’t allow many to begin with. He also graded as a below average defensive pitcher.

Perhaps Sandoval’s biggest strength was high impeccable character. He was a treasured team captain, renowned for his leadership, loyalty, work ethic, intelligence, and selflessness. You would be hard pressed to find many other better humans in the game’s history than Sandoval. This earned him popularity and respect throughout the continent.

Although his prime years were elsewhere, Sandoval did regularly represent his native Paraguay in the World Baseball Championship. From 2009-17 and 2021-27, Sandoval tossed 228 innings with a 3.00 ERA, 12-14 record, 249 strikeouts, 53 walks, 120 ERA+, 79 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR. As he progressed through the amateur ranks, Sandoval earned interest from throughout the region. In the 2008 BSA Draft, he was picked tenth overall by Montevideo.

Sandoval was a full-timer immediately for the Venom and held the role for a decade. He spent some time in relief and missed part of 2013 to an elbow strain, but otherwise Sandoval was good for 200+ innings and 5.5+ WAR each year with Montevideo. He led the Southern Cone League in wins in both 2011 and 2016. Sandoval was third in 2014 and 2015’s Pitcher of the Year voting, then won the top honor in 2016.

That year, he was the WARlord for the only time in his career with a career-best 8.1. Sandoval’s 2016 also had his best ERA (2.19) and highest strikeout tally (246). He wouldn’t be an awards finalist after that. Montevideo was historically mediocre, although they started to show some life in the 2010s. In 2014, the Venom ended a 15-year playoff drought, although they fell in the first round.

In 2015, Montevideo set a franchise record at 104-58 and earned the #1 seed. They made the Southern Cone final for only the third time in franchise history, but were upset by Recife. In 25 playoff innings, Sandoval had 2.52 ERA and 30 Ks. It proved a one-off for the Venom, who spent the rest of the decade around the .500 mark.

Sandoval had a 3.38 ERA in 2018, his weakest since his rookie year, although he was still worth a rock solid 6.3 WAR. This was a contract year and ultimately he left for free agency at age 32. Sandoval remained very popular with the Uruguayan fans and eventually saw his #11 uniform retired by Montevideo. For the Venom, Sandoval had a 150-93 record, 69 saves, 2.88 ERA, 2199 innings, 2206 strikeouts, 302 walks, 128 ERA+, 69 FIP-, and 62.4 WAR.

He signed a five-year, $47,900,000 deal with Maturin. The Makos were a 2009 expansion team fresh off a stunning 2018, which saw their first playoff berth as a 87-75 wild card and a surprise Bolivar League title. Maturin would earn another wild card in 2019, but lost in the first round. They spent the rest of Sandoval’s tenure just above .500 but outside of the playoffs.

Sandoval led the league twice in FIP- and had 5.5+ WAR each season, continuing his steady and reliable production. He had a 78-45 record, 3.37 ERA, 1160 innings, 1069 strikeouts, 105 walks, 123 ERA+, 73 FIP-, and 31.9 WAR. His deal expired after the 2023 campaign, a free agent again and now 37-years old. Sandoval packed up and moved to Chile on a two-year, $20,200,000 deal with Concepcion. The following winter, the Chiefs extended him at another two years and $16,800,000.

Concepcion was the 2023 Southern Cone champ and Sandoval hoped to make a run at a ring. He stayed very steady as his excellent control allowed his game to age well. The Chiefs got wild cards in both 2024 and 2025, but fell both times in the divisional round. Sandoval allowed three runs over his 9.2 playoff innings. In 2025, he notably reached 250 career wins and 3500 career strikeouts.

Sandoval missed some time in 2026 to an oblique strain and was let go after the season. In three years for Concepcion, he had a 35-28 record, 2.88 ERA, 615.1 innings, 550 strikeouts, 74 walks, 127 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 15.7 WAR. At age 40, Buenos Aires brought Sandoval in for two years and $14,400,000.

His one year in Argentina would be plagued by an elbow sprain and shoulder inflammation. Sandoval had 146 innings with a 3.64 ERA, 95 Ks, and 2.1 WAR. His stuff and velocity had dipped noticeable and he couldn’t hit 90 mph anymore, although the control and movement kept him passable. Sandoval opted for retirement after the 2027 campaign at age 41.

Sandoval finished with a 272-174 record, 3.04 ERA, 4120.1 innings, 3920 strikeouts, 510 walks, 364/525 quality starts, 106 complete games, 21 shutouts, 126 ERA+, 72 FIP-, and 112.0 WAR. As of 2037, Sandoval ranks 13^th in wins, 19^th in innings, 32^nd in strikeouts, and 11^th in pitching WAR. His 1.11 BB/9 is 36^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings.

In his time, Sandoval was almost overlooked since he was rarely overwhelmingly dominant and never had the big playoff moment. But his consistency and tallies made him a no-doubt Hall of Famer, although he may just miss the inner-circle depending on your criteria. Sandoval received 98.5% as one of the headliners in a stacked five-player 2033 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.

Niccolo Coelho – Third Base – Recife Retrievers – 98.2% First Ballot

Niccolo Coelho was a 6’0’’, 200 pound right-handed third baseman from Coruripe, Brazil; a municipality with 57,000 people in the country’s northeast. Coelho was renowned for remarkable longevity and fantastic home run power. He was one of the game’s great ironmen, playing 140+ games in all but the final year of his 22-year odyssey. From 2008-22, he was good for 40+ home runs each year and had 45 per his 162 game average.

Coelho was also a very solid contact hitter against both sides and was better than most at drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was middling. He had a .990 OPS and 176 wRC+ facing right-handed pitching and a .954 OPS and 166 wRC+ against lefties. While his power was focused on homers, Coelho could find the gap respectably with 27 doubles and 5 triples per his 162 game average. His baserunning skills were good, but his speed was subpar.

Defensively, Coelho was a career third baseman and graded as a reliably average gloveman for his entire run. He did play first base some at the very start and end of his career with decent results. Coelho stayed incredibly loyal throughout his run, but did still want to be compensated properly. His incredibly longevity and power made him one of the most beloved players of his day. Some would argue Coelho was the best player and biggest icon ever to come out of Brazil.

Coelho was certainly proud of his Brazilian heritage and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship from 2007-26. Although he’d be known as a big game stud in other avenues, Coelho’s WBC stats were merely decent. In 196 games, he had 154 hits, 89 runs, 34 doubles, 42 home runs, 102 RBI, .228/.307/.466 slash, and 4.7 WAR.

Arguably, his best WBC showing came at age 42 in 2025. That year, Coelho helped Brazil to a runner-up finish against Spain with 21 hits, 14 runs, 5 doubles, 8 homers, 15 RBI, and 1.3 WAR over 22 games. Coelho was also part of the 2021 World Champion team, although he had a limited role with only eight games that year. The Brazilians also notably took third place in 2016.

Coelho stayed in his home country for his entire pro odyssey. By the 2005 BSA Draft, he had emerged as arguably Brazil’s best prospect and he went third overall to Recife. Coelho was a full-timer almost right away with 140 games and 119 starts as a rookie, winning 2006 Rookie of the Year honors with 2.7 WAR and .782 OPS. He had similar results in 2007, then emerged as a true stud soon after.

From 2008-2019, Coelho was worth at least 8+ WAR each season with the streak extending to 2023 for 7+ WAR seasons. He won his first Silver Slugger in 2009, then won 11 straight from 2011-21. Coelho has the position record for third baseman in Beisbol Sudamerica and is one of only six at any spot to have won 12+ Silver Sluggers. You could pretty much reliably expect 40+ homers, 100+ RBI, 100+ runs, an average above .300, and often an OPS above one.

Although Coelho missed the Slugger in 2010, he was third in MVP voting and was the Southern Cone League leader in home runs for the first time at 52. This also started a regular run of contention for Recife, who had a playoff drought from 2002-08. The Retrievers were a wild card in 2009 and made the LCS, but fell to Salvador.

Recife repeated as Southern Cone champs in 2010-11, but couldn’t claim Copa Sudamerica with a loss to Santa Cruz in 2010 and Valencia in 2011. Coelho won his first MVP in 2011, leading in runs (117) and RBI (139) with 9.2 WAR and 1.065 OPS. He was impressive in both playoff runs as well. In 2010, Coelho had a 1.214 OPS and 1.4 WAR over 15 starts, followed by 1.071 OPS and 1.1 WAR in 2011. He was unremarkable in the inaugural Baseball Grand Championship in 2010 with .827 OPS and 0.2 WAR as Recife went 4-5 in the initial divisional format. Coelho fared stronger in 2011 with .914 OPS and 0.9 WAR as the Retrievers went 9-10.

In 2012, Recife finished 91-71 and fell two games short in the wild card race. For Coelho, this year notably had his career high and league best 64 home runs. That August, Coelho inked a seven-year, $68,900,000 extension to stay long-term with Recife. The Retrievers were back in the 2013 playoffs and started a nine-year streak.

Coelho was third in 2013’s MVP voting. Recife was the top seed at 101-61, but lost the Southern Cone Championship to divisional rival Fortaleza. The next year, the Foxes had the #1 seed at 104-58 and the Retrievers were stuck as a wild card at 102-60. They met again in the LCS, again a Fortaleza victory. Those were two of Coelho’s weaker playoff runs, although he was still good.

By many measures, 2014 was Coelho’s best regular season. He won his second MVP and was the league leader in OBP (.423), slugging (.702), OPS (1.125), wRC+ (201), and WAR (11.4). The triple slash (.354 average as well), OPS, and WAR were career bests along with his 201 hits and 118 runs.

Coelho was third in 2015’s MVP voting, but it was one of his most impactful seasons. Recife won the division at 92-70, but got hot and upset Montevideo in the LCS and Maracaibo in Copa Sudamerica. Coelho was MVP of all three postseason rounds, posting 23 hits, 15 runs, 4 doubles, 7 homers, 13 RBI, 1.173 OPS, and 1.4 WAR over 17 starts. His BGC stats were underwhelming though with a .674 OPS and 0.4 WAR, but the Retrievers were still good for a 10-9 finish in a three-way tie for sixth.

2016 saw Coelho’s third MVP win and a league best 139 RBI along with 1.085 OPS and 10.4 WAR. He led in doubles with 45 in 2017, then won his fourth and final MVP in 2018 with league bests in runs (118), homers (54), and WAR (10.6). Recife had a first round exit in 2016, LCS loss in 2017 to Concepcion, and divisional series defeat in 2018. Coelho was now in his mid 30s, but was still as impressive as ever. After the 2018 season, the Retrievers bought out the team option year in his deal, but gave him a new three-year, $46,200,000 contract a few days later.

Coelho’s MVP contention was done at this point, but he remained an elite starter into his 40s. Recife was a 96-66 wild card in 2019, but surprised many by winning Copa Sudamerica over Trujillo. Coelho had another strong postseason in earning his second ring with 1.146 OPS over 13 starts. This would also be by far his best BGC performance as the Retrievers took second at 14-5, just behind 15-4 Tabriz for Grand Champion honors. Coelho had 1.171 OPS, 1.7 WAR, 21 hits, 16 runs, 8 homers, and 14 RBI.

For his BGC career, Coelho started 65 games with 64 hits, 40 runs, 13 doubles, 17 home runs, 40 RBI, .267/.356/.550 slash, and 3.2 WAR. However, it was his BSA playoff starts that were truly excellent. Coelho started 120 games with 154 hits, 86 runs, 26 doubles, 37 home runs, 90 RBI, 42 walks, .333/.388/.647 slash, 193 wRC+, and 7.6 WAR.

As of 2037, Coelho is the BSA playoff career leader in runs, hits, total bases (299), doubles, RBI, and walks. He also ranks second in games played and in homers, on dinger behind Antonio Arceo for the top spot. While having a lot of chances increased his tallies, Coelho’s playoff rate stats were even more impressive than his excellent regular season numbers.

Recife made the playoffs again in 2020-21 and even had the top both years with 97-65 and 103-59 records. However, both times the Retrievers were upset in the divisional round. That marked the end of their run of regular contention and they’d hover around the .500 mark for the next five years. During Coelho’s reign though, Recife had two Copa Sudamerica wins, four Southern Cone pennants, eight LCS trips, seven division titles, and 12 playoff berths. This is certainly one of the strongest prolonged runs in league history.

Coelho signed a two-year, $25,200,000 extension after the 2020 season. His longevity and durability was now pushing him up the leaderboards, which became a larger focus for fans as Recife fell into the mid-tier. In 2022 at age 39, he became the 14^th BSA player to 3000 hits. Coelho’s average did trop to a career low .274 this year, but he otherwise seemingly hadn’t lost a step with 7.7 WAR and 44 home runs.

In June 2023, Coelho became the fourth member of the 800 home run club. He signed another two-year, $44,400,000 extension that winter with Recife. In 2024, Coelho was the third to reach 2000 career RBI and became BSA’s WARlord among position players, passing Diego Pena’s 153.6 that had stood since 1959. The next year, he passed Milton Becker’s 1980 runs scored, becoming the new runs leader and the first in BSA to cross home plate 2000 times. Coelho also became only the third to 3500 hits and passed Becker’s 6837 to become the leader in total bases.

2025 was his weakest year since his second season, but Coelho at age 42 still had a rock solid 5.3 WAR and .856 OPS. He did notably hit only 28 homers, his first sub-30 dinger season since his sophomore campaign. BSA’s home run, RBI, and hits records all seemed reachable. At this point, Coelho had 3564 hits, 2030 runs, 878 homers, and 2140 RBI. He was 376 from Owen Arcia to become the hit king and only 63 homers and 91 RBI behind Becker for those crowns. Coelho had moved into the #2 spot for homers that year, passing Valor Melo’s 870.

Coelho wanted to continue the chase with Recife and they were happy to have him with another two years and $20 million. 2026 had similar stats to the prior year with 5.1 WAR and .887, but he got his power stroke back with 41 homers and 75 RBI. Coelho joined the elusive 900 home run club, met by only 23 in all of world history as of 2037. He was now 22 homers and 11 RBI from Becker and 218 hits from Arcia.

Age does catch everyone eventually, even the immortals. The 44-year old Coelho finally looked pedestrian in 2027 and Recife was 69-93, their worst year since his arrived by a healthy margin. He was limited to 68 games and 24 starts with .723 OPS, 0.4 WAR, 7 homers, 16 RBI, and 23 hits. Coelho passed Becker to become the RBI leader, but he finished 15 homers and 195 hits short of those top spots. He retired that winter and immediately had his #17 uniform retired by Recife. Coelho’s retirement ceremony and announcement were among the biggest in the continent’s history.

Coelho finished with 3369 games, 3745 hits, 2133 runs, 552 doubles, 100 triples, 926 home runs, 2231 RBI, 7275 total bases, 1112 walks, 2639 strikeouts, 241 stolen bases, .313/.374/.607 slash, 174 wRC+, and 168.5 WAR. As of 2037, Coelho is still Beisbol Sudamerica’s leader for runs scored, total bases RBI and WAR among position players. He’s #2 on the overall WAR board behind only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos at 205.06. Coelho ranks 3^rd in games played and at-bats (11,978), 2^nd in hits, 2^nd in homers, 6^th in doubles, 12^th in walks, and 10^th in strikeouts. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Coelho is 69^th in OBP, 30^th in slugging, and 33^rd in OPS at .981.

On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Coelho is 16^th in games played, 17^th in runs, 19^th in hits, 20^th in homers, 24^th in RBI, and 12^th in WAR among position players. Amongst everyone to ever play the game, Coelho sits 17^th in WAR. He has the most of any Brazilian and is 3^rd among South American-born players behind Ramos (Bolivia) and Ishmael Perla (Argentina). Perla had only 152.1 WAR in BSA, but got to 170.0 combining his five MLB seasons.

When you combine those tallies, plus his spots on the playoff leaderboards, two Copa Sudamerica rings, and four pennants; is Niccolo Coelho the best player in Beisbol Sudamerica history? There’s certainly a compelling case, especially for the best-ever position player. Ramos and his absurd 7747 strikeouts most often takes the #1 spot with many considering him the best pitcher in all of baseball history. But for position players, Coelho is hard to beat.

Diego Pena has him beat for longevity and had great defensive value at shortstop, but wasn’t as efficient as hitter. Advanced stats loved Perla’s walks and stolen bases, but definitely lacked power and playoff success. Niculao Semide also didn’t have Coelho’s power metrics. The big power guys like Milton Becker and Valor Melo didn’t quite have the longevity of Coelho. Some put Angel Gabriel Cornejo (138.98 total WAR) in the conversation for best-ever third baseman, but he notably had a good chunk at second base.

At third base in BSA, Coelho is the all-time leader in slugging, OPS, games, runs, hits, total bases, homers, RBI, walks, and WAR; pretty firmly cementing himself as the league’s GOAT there. Coelho had 151.75 WAR specifically playing 3B, 2^nd only in world history to South Asia Baseball’s Manju Abbas (154.84). Abbas has Coelho beat in some of the counting stats, but he notably played 3630 of his 3656 career games there, the most of any player ever at one specific position. The case could legitimately be made for Coelho as not only Beisbol Sudamerica’s best-ever position player, but the best third baseman in professional baseball history.

He’s a beloved Brazilian icon and considered by many as the country’s best-ever, although he has steep competition like the before mentioned liked of Pena, Semide, and Melo among others. Coelho is easily one of the game’s immortals and as inner-circle of a Hall of Famer as you can get. Somehow, he had only the third highest voting percentage of the loaded 2033 class, albeit at 98.2%. But the competition is tough in arguably the greatest-ever class in BSA’s history.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-02-2025, 08:04 PM

Carlos Ulibarri – First Base – Maturin Makos – 85.5% First Ballot

Carlos Ulibarri was a 6’4’’, 200 pound right-handed first baseman from La Dolorita, Venezuela; a city of around 57,000 people located six miles from Caracas. Ulibarri was an excellent contact hitter against both sides and had a reliable pop in his bat. His power wasn’t prolific, but Ulibarri was good for a rock solid 31 home runs, 32 doubles, and 3 triples per his 162 game average. He did fare noticeably better against left-handed pitching (1.050 OPS, 171 wRC+), but was still formidable facing righties (.874 OPS, 129 wRC+).

Ulibarri was better than most BSA hitters at avoiding strikeouts, but he was below average at drawing walks. Unfortunately on the basepaths, few guys were as slow and dismal. Despite that, Ulibarri was a very adept defender who played his entire career at first base. He had surprisingly good range and won Gold Gloves in both 2012 and 2013. Ulibarri was an ironman who never missed a game to injury, starting 139+ games in all 16 of his pro seasons. That reliability, along with a tireless work ethic and great adaptability, made Ulibarri quite the fan favorite.

For the 2011 BSA Draft, Ulibarri was arguably the top overall prospect. He ended up picked second overall by Maturin and spent his entire career with the Makos. The franchise was looking for its first superstar, having joined the Bolivar League in the 2009 expansion. Maturin had the usual growing pains of any expansion club and hovered around the mid 70s win range for Ulibarri’s first few seasons.

Ulibarri was a full-time starter immediately with steady production, but he wasn’t an award winning bat yet. He won his two Gold Gloves in his first two years and was second in 2012’s Rookie of the Year voting. In 2018, Maturin earned their first-ever playoff berth and winning season at 87-75. They were the second wild card in a year with four other playoff teams above 100+ wins.

But the Makos shocked that field and became the first of the six expansion squads from 2009 to win a pennant. While they won the Bolivar League crown, they lost to Concepcion in Copa Sudamerica. Ulibarri in 18 playoff starts had 18 hits, 11 runs, 3 doubles, 6 homers, 19 RBI, .944 OPS, and 0.7 WAR. In the Baseball Grand Championship, he had 20 hits, 9 runs, 3 doubles, 7 homers, 10 RBI, .896 OPS, and 0.8 WAR. Maturin finished 8-11, but it was impressive to even be among the world’s best in only the franchise’s tenth season.

It proved a one-off for the Makos. They got another wild card in 2019, but lost in the first round. Maturin wouldn’t make the playoffs in the 2020s and were generally mid-tier, averaging 76.8 wins per season for the decade. Ulibarri’s best individual stats were still to come though, taking second in 2019 and 2020’s MVP voting. He led both years in RBI with 146 in 2019 and 138 in 2020.

Ulibarri also won his lone batting title in 2020 with a .368 average and led that year in both hits (225), and WAR (8.1). Those were career bests, as was his 103 runs, 39 doubles, 44 homers, .655 slugging, 1.057 OPS, and 172 wRC+. Ulibarri won Silver Slugger both years and did again in 2027 at age 37. He had 7+ WAR in 2019, 20, 22, and 26. While he didn’t reach those heights in between, Ulibarri was still a capable and reliable starter throughout his mid 30s.

In March 2022, Ulibarri signed a five-year, $57,300,000 extension with Maturin. After his excellent 2026 season, Ulibarri declined sharply in 2027 with .702 OPS, 85 wRC+, and 0 WAR. He had become the 17^th to 3000 hits and the 56^th to 1500 RBI. Maturin didn’t re-sign him after the down year and Ulibarri spent 2028 unemployed while hoping to play somewhere. He finally retired that winter just after his 40^th birthday. The Makos quickly retired his #18 uniform and he would be their second Hall of Famer, as closer Bobby Santos was first in 2031.

Ulibarri ended with 2497 games, 3210 hits, 1365 runs, 492 doubles, 45 triples, 471 home runs, 1591 RBI, 519 walks, 1612 strikeouts, .333/.368/.540 slash, 137 wRC+, and 77.6 WAR. As of 2037, Ulibarri ranks 65^th in games, 53^rd in runs, 11^th in hits, 27^th in total bases (5205), 19^th in doubles, 90^th in home runs, and 24^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 in WAR for position players. Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Ulibarri is 60^th in batting average and 96^th in on-base percentage.

While Ulibarri wasn’t an inner-circle Hall of Famer, he was incredibly steady over 16 years and helped establish an expansion franchise in their earliest years. Plus, Ulibarri was incredibly likeable, which won over the few voters skeptical over the lack of more accolades. He received 85.5% for a first ballot induction, the fourth of five for Beisbol Sudamerica’s stellar 2033 class.

Sebastian Nazario – First Base/Designated Hitter – Recife Retrievers – 72.4% First Ballot

Sebastian Nazario was a 6’4’’, 190 pound right-handed first baseman from El Cafetal, Venezuela; a neighborhood of around 80,000 people within greater Caracas. Nazario was a rock solid contact hitter against both sides known for reliable gap and home run power. His 162 game average got you 32 doubles, 10 triples, and 37 home runs. While Nazario didn’t ever lead the league in those stats, he got you a reliable slate of extra base hits. Nazario was better against left-handed pitching (.981 OPS, 166 wRC+) but was no bum against righties (.889 OPS, 141 wRC+).

His main downside offensively was he didn’t draw many walks and was subpar at avoiding strikeouts. Nazario did grade as delightfully average in terms of speed and baserunning. He did run into a couple big injuries in his run, but still persevered for a 20 year career.

Just over half of Nazario’s starts came at first base, where he graded as mediocre defensively, although you could do worse. He made some starts in RF/LF early in his career, but was putrid there. About 1/3 of his career starts came as a designated hitter, starting there primarily when in the Bolivar League. Nazario was very popular across his numerous stops and was considered a very high character individual. He was viewed as hard working, intelligent, loyal, and a strong leader.

Nazario had only recently turned 19-years old when picked 16^th overall by Cuidad Guayana in the 2008 BSA Draft. He spent 2009 fully in their academy, then saw part-time use with limited success with 110 games and 61 starts from 2010-11. Nazario earned a full-time gig in 2012 with nice results, but was reduced more to a platoon role in 2013.

2014 was Nazario’s breakout year, leading the league in RBI (136) and total bases (404). He also hit 46 home runs, which would be a career high, winning his only Silver Slugger as a DH. At this point, Ciudad Guayana was mostly middle-tier, but they hadn’t made the playoffs since 2000. The Giants broke through as a wild card in 2015, but lost in the divisional series. Nazario’s production dropped to 2.2 WAR and .874 OPS, leading some with CG management to think his 2014 success was a fluke.

In July 2016, Ciudad Guayana traded Nazario straight up for SP Javi Feliciano to Recife. With the Giants, Nazario had 789 games, 845 hits, 459 runs, 162 doubles, 61 triples, 161 home runs, 482 RBI, .299/.328/.570 slash, 129 wRC+, and 13.6 WAR. Recife was the reigning Copa Sudamerica champ and amidst a run of contention led by fellow 2033 Hall of Fame inductee Niccolo Coelho.

Nazario was underwhelming in his first autumn with Recife, who lost in the first round of the playoffs. He had only 0.2 WAR and .693 OPS in 54 games, but the Retrievers still thought Nazario had something. They signed him that winter to a four-year, $25,400,000 extension. Nazario missed much of 2017 to a broken bone in his elbow, but had some success in the playoffs as Recife lost to Concepcion in the Southern Cone Championship.

He finally put things together and became a steady force in the middle of the Retrievers lineup, posting five straight seasons worth 5+ WAR from 2018-22. Nazario led the league in RBI in both 2020-21 and led with a career high 419 total bases in 2020. That year also had Nazario’s best for runs (115), hits (223), homers (46), average (.349), and WAR (9.1). Nazario was third in 2020’s MVP voting and hit for the cycle against Manaus in September, earning his 300^th home run on the same day.

Recife won Copa Sudamerica in 2019 as a 96-66 wild card, upsetting Trujillo in the final. Nazario was the MVP of the finals and the divisional round with 20 hits, 14 runs, 1 double, 3 triples, 5 homers, 12 RBI, 1.260 OPS, and 1.3 WAR in 13 starts. In the Baseball Grand Championship, Nazario had a nice showing with 17 hits, 10 runs, 2 doubles, 6 homers, 13 RBI, and 0.7 WAR. The Retrievers finished 14-5, second only to Tabriz.

For his playoff career, Nazario had great numbers in limited tries with 49 games, 60 hits, 30 runs, 4 doubles, 5 triples, 13 homers, 31 RBI,, .355/.388/.669 slash, 203 wRC+, and 2.7 WAR. He did also play for Venezuela between 2013-27 in the World Baseball Championship, but he was mostly a backup with limited results. Nazario had 60 WBC games, but posted .562 OPS and -0.1 WAR. However, his role in Recife’s 2019 win earned him an important spot in the hearts of Retrievers fans.

After the 2020 season, Recife gave Nazario a six-year, $94,800,000 extension. They were the #1 seed in both 2020 and 2021, but fell in the divisional series both years. The Retrievers then spent the rest of Nazario’s run hovering around .500 and outside the playoffs. Nazario’s 2022 was on pace to be possibly his best yet, but he suffered a ruptured foot tendon in July that knocked him out five months. He remained a strong starter for three more years with Recife, but his time as a possible MVP contender was done.

For Recife, Nazario had 1352 games, 1572 hits, 816 runs, 265 doubles, 73 triples, 325 home runs, 869 RBI, .317/.352/.596 slash, 171 wRC+, and 50.3 WAR. The Retrievers would retire his #33 uniform for his decade of service and important role in the 2019 championship. With the era of contention over, Recife bought out Nazario’s contract after the 2025 season, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 36.

Nazario signed for three years and $22,500,000 with Barquisimeto, who had been historically bad only a few years prior. They were around .500 in two years for the Black Cats with decent results from Nazario with 281 games, 305 hits, 154 runs, 41 doubles, 64 homers, 174 RBI, .286/.321/.529 slash, 127 wRC+, and 5.6 WAR. He missed about two months in 2027 to a strained ACL. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the third year of his deal, ending his time back in Venezuela with the 2027 season.

This also ended Nazario’s time in South America, but he still wanted to play somewhere. He ended up in West African Baseball on a two-year, $11,800,000 dea with Monrovia. Nazario’s tenure was unremarkable with 271 games, 296 hits, 159 runs, 70 doubles, 57 home runs, 186 RBI, .279/.314/.527 slash, 109 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He went unsigned in 2030, then retired that winter at age 41. For his combined pro career, Nazario had 2693 games, 3018 hits, 1588 runs, 538 doubles, 158 triples, 607 home runs, 1711 RBI, .304/.338/.574 slash, 148 wRC+, and 71.9 WAR.

Just in BSA, Nazario had 2422 games, 2722 hits, 1429 runs, 468 doubles, 147 triples, 550 home runs, 1525 RBI, 411 walks, 1819 strikeouts, 338 steals, .307/.341/.580 slash, 152 wRC+, and 69.5 WAR. As of 2037, Nazario ranks 85^th in games, 45^th in hits, 43^rd in runs, 29^th in total bases (5134), 30^th in doubles, 48^th in home runs, and 34^th in RBI. He does miss the top 100 for WAR among position players, but his slugging is 77^th among those with 3000+ plate appearances.

While Nazario’s accolades were limited relative to many other Hall of Famers, he managed to hit several of the important accumulation milestones. His power numbers, high character, and role in Recife’s 2019 Copa Sudamerica win was enough for most voters. Nazario only narrowly crossed the 66% requirement at 72.4%, but he secured a first ballot selection to round off a star-studded five-player 2033 class for Beisbol Sudamerica.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-03-2025, 09:29 AM

Four players were first ballot inductees for the European Baseball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023. Co-headlining at 98.8% and 97.3% respectively were OF Jean-Luc Tapie and CF Omer Kadri Nesin. 1B Jean-Paul Lafontaine was next at 81.2% and CL Wilfried Bergmann got 72.3%. 1B Sisto Contreras was the closest returner to the 66% requirement, but missed at 60.9% on his third ballot. Also above 50% was 2B Oliver Bjerkli with 58.2% for his second ballot, LF Emilson Patino with 56.2% on his seventh try, and SS Nicolo Giotto at 50.0% even for his second go.

CF Joris Kostic was dropped after ten failed ballots, getting as close as 59.6% in 2029 before ending at 47.3%. He was never below 40% and was ultimately doomed by injuries, playing only 1735 games in 16 seasons. Two of those seasons (including his best year) also were in the European Second League, not helping his EBF totals. In the top tier, Kostic did win MVP in 2004 along with four Silver Sluggers. His most famous tenure was with Krakow, but he notably won finals MVP as part of Paris’ 2014 championship.

Kostic had 1539 games, 1821 hits, 955 runs, 218 doubles, 113 triples, 324 home runs, 903 RBI, 639 steals, .329/.370/.584 slash, 167 wRC+, and 80.4 WAR. The pace was certainly there and Kostic ranks 84^th in WAR among position players even over the short tenure. However, all of the injury totals greatly limited his accumulations and many voters are hard pressed to add a guy who fell short of 2000 hits, 1000 runs, and 1000 RBI.

Catcher Jonathan Brandt also fell off, although he never got as close with a 35.8% peak in 2027 and finish at 5.9%. He was hurt by both a quick decline and the low totals that come with playing catcher. In 12 years for Cologne, Brandt had 1366 games, 1578 hits, 528 runs, 255 doubles, 38 homers, 560 RBI, .341/.370/.436 slash, 129 wRC+, and 45.6 WAR. He won three Silver Sluggers and was a starter for the Copperheads’ 2012 championship team, but ultimately was a “Hall of Pretty Good” level guy.

Jean-Luc “Sugar Bear” Tapie – Right/Left Field – Marseille Musketeers – 98.8% First Ballot

Jean-Luc Tapie was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed corner outfielder from Saint-Nicolas, France; a commune of just under 5,000 people in the country’s north. His warm personality earned him the nickname “Sugar Bear.” Tapie was one of the most universally beloved players for fans and peers alike. A true fan favorite, he was known for his selflessness, loyalty, work ethic, and adaptability.

At his best, Tapie was one of the best all-around batters in the world with great contact skills, home run power, and a stellar eye. He was especially a menace for right-handed pitching with a career 1.106 OPS and 195 wRC+, but he was plenty good against lefties with a .892 OPS and 144 wRC+. Tapie had an excellent eye for drawing walks, but his strikeout rate was merely average. Tapie had a powerful bat with 44 home runs, 22 doubles, and 9 triples per his 162 game average. He had 12 seasons with 40+ homers and was above 50+ four times.

Tapie was a skilled baserunner, but his speed and stealing ability were both average at best. He was a corner outfield with a close to even split for his career between right and left field. Tapie did spend slightly more time in RF and was better there, but he was a lousy defender on the whole. He had some recurring injuries, mainly with his back and hamstrings. While he did miss some notable chunks, Tapie’s batting prowess and work ethic still propelled him to a 23-year pro career.

Despite coming from a smaller town, word of Tapie’s talent quickly spread throughout the French baseball community. In the 2005 EBF Draft, he’d go late in the first round, 49^th overall, to Marseille. Tapie wasn’t fully formed yet and saw limited action initially. He played only 24 games in 2005 with poor results, but he looked promising over 83 games and 25 starts in 2006. Tapie earned a full-time gig in 2007 and held it for 12 years with the Musketeers, only missing starts to injuries.

Tapie’s first year as a starter was stellar, winning Southern Conference MVP and his first Silver Slugger in LF. He led the conference in homers (54), total bases (404), walks (70), slugging (.711), OPS (1.116), and wRC+ (201). Marseille was still stuck around .500, but had optimism that they’d soon contend. The Musketeers had a playoff drought back to 1990. In 2008, they had their best season of the drought at 90-72, but they were still a win short of the postseason.

2008 had repeat MVPs and a Slugger in RF for Tapie. He was the leader in runs (130), homers (59), walks (97), total bases (407), OBP (.451), slugging (.758), OPS (1.209), wRC+ (215), and WAR (9.8). To that point, it was only the third time in EBF history that a player had an OBP above .450 and only the fifth season ever of an OPS above 1.200. That would be his career best for both stats and his best for runs, walks, and slugging.

Tapie had a seven-year streak as OPS leader from 2007-13 and led in OBP five times, slugging six times, and wRC+ six times during that stretch. 2009 had a similar pace, but he missed six weeks in the spring to a strained MCL. Still, Tapie was third in MVP voting. Most importantly, Marseille ended their playoff drought as a 97-65 division champ.

The Musketeers got hot, defeating Tirana in the Southern Conference Championship and topping Luxembourg for their first European Championship since the 1985-86 repeat. Tapie’s stats were merely decent in the run with 17 hits, 9 runs, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 11 RBI, .885 OPS, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he had helped return Marseille to relevance.

Tapie was also broadly popular across France as a regular from 2007-25 in the World Baseball Championship. He was a stud on the WBC stage with 203 games, 167 hits, 147 runs, 23 doubles, 77 home runs, 150 RBI, 125 walks, .248/.397/.634 slash, 1.031 OPS, and 11.8 WAR. The French had division titles in 2011, 16, 19, and 24.

It was the 2024 run that was most notable, as a 38-year old Tapie helped France to its first world title 4-2 over the United States. In 23 games, Tapie had 18 hits, 16 runs, 6 homers, 11 RBI, .958 OPS, and 1.0 WAR. As of 2037, Tapie is 17^th among position players in WAR in event history, 18^th in homers, 24^th in runs, 28^th in total bases (427), 22^nd in RBI, and 19^th in walks. He’s also one of only 81 guys with an OPS above 1.300 in the WBC and at least 250+ plate appearances.

From 2010-12, Tapie three-peated as MVP and won Sluggers at LF in 2010-11 and RF in 2012. In August 2011, Marseille wisely inked him to an eight-year, $88,300,000 extension. He’s one of only three players with 5+ MVPs in EBF along with Sean Houston and Harvey Coyle. In 2010, Tapie had his career highs for hits (206), batting average (.368), and doubles (33). 2011 was his peak for homers (61), RBI (141), wRC+ (217), and WAR (10.6). Tapie was the homer leader again in 2012 with 53 dingers.

Marseille became a playoff regular with Tapie, but they weren’t able to match the 2009 title run. The Musketeers had second round exits in 2010, 11, and 16; a first round loss in 2012, and playoff misses in 2013 and 15. They did get to the conference finals in 2014, but lost to Valencia. Tapie’s playoff stats were respectable in 46 starts for Marseille with 47 hits, 31 runs, 15 homers, 27 RBI, .276/.369/.571, 150 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR.

Tapie was third in 2013’s MVP voting and won a Silver Slugger in RF for 2015. He was the leader once more in slugging and OPS in 2015, but that was his last time as a conference leader. In 2014, Tapie lost six weeks to a hamstring strain. An even worse hamstring strain knocked him out more than half of the 2016 campaign and a torn thumb ligament cost him six weeks in 2018. Tapie was still a very effective batter when healthy and would be good for around 4-5 WAR a generally in his 30s, but he was out of the MVP conversation

Marseille was 78-84 in 2017, their first losing season since 2005. They then absolutely collapsed in 2018 at 56-106, suffering relegation for the first time to the European Second League. Tapie still had a year left on his contract, but understandably opted out due to the demotion. It would take seven years for the Musketeers to recover and get back to the EBF Elite.

Tapie remained beloved and a symbol of the “good ol’ days” in southern France. For Marseille, he had 1808 games, 1989 hits, 1292 runs, 268 doubles, 113 triples, 558 home runs, 1278 RBI, 933 walks, .325/.418/.680 slash, 194 wRC+, and 95.3 WAR. Sugar Bear’s #33 uniform would be retired at the end of his career, but he’d still have another nine years to go. Heading towards his age 34 season, Tapie went across the border to Spain on a four-year, $59,300,000 deal with Barcelona.

He was steady in three seasons for the Bengals, although a sprained ankle cost him some time in 2019. In 442 games, Tapie had 434 hits, 262 runs, 62 doubles, 27 triples, 97 home runs, 278 RBI, 214 walks, .298/.390/.577 slash, .164 wRC+, and 15.7 WAR. He did also win his seventh and final Silver Slugger in 2020, that one in RF. While in Spain, he crossed the 600 home run, 1500 run, and 1500 RBI milestones.

Barcelona had been historically strong, but they had fallen into the 70s win range in the latter part of the 2010s. The Bengals dropped to 63-99 and suffered their own first relegation, causing Tapie to opt out of his deal. Soon to be 37, Tapie still had suitors and signed at $46 million over three years with Dublin. The Dinos had been a powerhouse in the 21^st Century with EBF titles in 2010, 11, and 13. They had been the runner-up in 2020 and a conference finalist in 2021.

Dublin started a new dynasty run during Tapie’s three-year tenure, winning Northern Conference pennants each season with 116, 114, and 110 wins. The Dinos won the European Championship in 2022 over Naples and repeated in 2023 against Munich. However, the three-peat was denied by Chisinau in 2024. Tapie solidified a reputation as a big game hitter in his late 30s, playing 46 playoff games for Dublin with 45 hits, 30 runs, 8 doubles, 3 triples, 12 home runs, 31 RBI, .283/.384/.597 slash, 166 wRC+, and 2.2 WAR.

In 2022, Dublin finished third in the Baseball Grand Championship at 12-7. They were 13-6 in 2023, one back on Dhaka for the top spot but third via the tiebreaker with Guatemala. Then in 2024, the Dinos finished in a three-way tie for first with Chisinau and Sao Paulo at 13-6. The three teams had a rock-paper-scissors result, but Dublin allowed the fewest runs and therefore earned the tiebreaker and the Grand Champion honors.

In 55 BGC games, Tapie had 41 hits, 25 runs, 6 doubles, 10 homers, 23 RBI, .247/.406/.464 slash, and 2.1 WAR. For his EBF playoff career, he had 94 games, 93 hits, 61 runs, 11 doubles, 4 triples, 27 homers, 58 RBI, 47 walks, .280/.376/.581 slash, 157 wRC+, and 4.0 WAR. Between Dublin and Marseille, Tapie was a three-time European Champion, four-time conference champ, and a Grand Champion. He also would become a World Champion in 2024 with France, crystalizing his spot as one of baseball’s immortals.

Tapie’s stats stayed very steady and strong in three years in Ireland with 412 games, 430 hits, 273 runs, 54 doubles, 119 home runs, 327 RBI, 194 walks, .301/.385/.618 slash, 167 wRC+, and 15.8 WAR. In 2022, Tapie became the ninth member of the 700 home run club. On May 29, 2024, he became one of a select few in EBF with a four home run game against Oslo.

At this point, Tapie seemed to have a strong shot at the 2000 run, 3000 hit, 800 home run, and 2000 RBI milestones. He also left Dublin with 1341 walks, second on the leaderboard at that point with a shot at Nikolai Yevsikov’s 1446. Coming up on age 40, Tapie signed a three-year, $58,400,000 deal with Palermo. The run would be snake-bitten from the start, missing much of that first season between a strained groin and back troubles.

Tapie was generally healthy from 2026-27 but he had declined noticeably and was reduced to a backup role, ultimately falling short of the before-mentioned milestones. For the Priests, he had 266 games total with only 75 starts with 107 hits, 70 runs, 11 doubles, 22 home runs, 50 RBI, .245/.331/.436 slash, 119 wRC+, and 2.3 WAR. He retired after the 2027 season at age 42.

Sugar Bear’s final stats saw 2928 games, 2960 hits, 1897 runs, 395 doubles, 164 triples, 796 home runs, 1933 RBI, 1394 walks, 1772 strikeouts, 288 steals, .314/.405/.644 slash, 182 wRC+, and 129.1 WAR. As of 2037, Tapie is 7^th in games, 9^th in runs, 18^th in hits, 9^th in total bases (6071), 57^th in doubles, 4^th in homers, 10^th in RBI, 2^nd in walks, and 12^th in WAR among position players. He sits 20^th in WAR among all EBF players.

Amongst EBF batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Tapie is 10^th in OBP, 10^th in slugging, and 6^th in OPS. Among the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, he’s 26^th in OBP, 18^th in slugging, 13^th in OPS, and just outside the top 50 for wRC+. Tapie goes down as one of the most efficient and effective hitters in the history of the game. Tapie is easily an inner-circle Hall of Famer for the European Baseball Federation and one of the most decorated position players in its history.

Some scholars rank him as high as the top 10 for EBF position players and most have him somewhere in the top 20 at minimum. Tapie is also the WAR leader among French position players and is often cited as the best-ever hitter from France. A few go as far as calling him the best-ever player from France, although pitcher Jean-Luc Roch is typically rated above Tapie. At 98.8%, Tapie co-headlined an excellent four-player HOF class for the EBF.

Omer Kadri “Stumpy” Nesin – Center Field – Hamburg Hammers – 97.3% First Ballot

Omer Kadri Nesin was a 6’3’’, 205 pound right-handed center fielder from Nuremburg, Germany; a city of 529,5000 in the state of Bavaria. Nicknamed “Stumpy,” Nesin was most famous for his excellent speed and stellar baserunning, leading the conference six times in stolen bases. He was also a good contact hitter with a solid eye for drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. Nesin fared a bit better facing left-handed pitching (.907 OPS, 150 wRC+) compared to righties (.833 OPS, 131 wRC+). He emerged as one of the top leadoff guys of his era.

Nesin wasn’t a powerful slugger as he never hit more than 20 home runs in a season. His gap power and speed though earned a lot of extra base hits with a 162 game average of 24 doubles, 25 triples, and 12 homers. Nesin was one of a select few in baseball history to have more triples than he had doubles or homers. From that, he scored a lot of runs and was a nightmare for pitchers to hold.

Nesin was a career center fielder and on the whole, he graded as a reliably adequate defender. His overall glove work was good, but his range and arm were average at best. Still, Nesin wasn’t a negative value defender except for his final years. He had great durability even with the demands of CF, starting 135+ games in all but two of his 17 seasons. Nesin was a fan favorite and had high character, known for his loyalty, adaptability, work ethic, and intelligence. He wasn’t one to take a leadership role, but he was still universally respected and praised by his peers.

In April 2006, Nesin left Germany as a teenager for Sweden on a developmental deal with Stockholm. He spent most of five years in their academy, debuting with five games in 2010 at age 21. The Swordsmen made Nesin a starter in 2011 and he was third in Rookie of the Year voting. He held that gig firmly eight years for them. The only real interruption was 2017 due to a fractured wrist.

Nesin was a reliably strong starter for Stockholm but he wasn’t an awards finalist or generally a conference leader while there. The Swordsmen were generally stuck in the middle tier with a playoff drought back to the early 1990s. Nesin helped them with some brief life with 87, 85, and 88 wins from 2014-16. After the 2015 season, Stockholm signed Nesin to an eight-year $108,700,000 deal with expectations to soon contend.

In 2018, Nesin hit for the cycle against Hamburg in 2018. It was the lone highlight really that year for Stockholm, who finished at 69-93 and ended up relegated to the European Second League. Nesin used the relegation opt-out, leaving for free agency at age 30. For the Swordsmen, Nesin had 1205 games, 1330 hits, 714 runs, 173 doubles, 178 triples, 80 home runs, 439 RBI, 608 steals, .295/.356/.465 slash, 130 wRC+, and 44.7 WAR.

Nesin signed a five-year, $90,800,000 deal with Hamburg and started his signature run. This marked his full-time return to Germany, although he had been a regular for his country in the World Baseball Championship. From 2013-26, Nesin had 154 games, 147 hits, 105 runs, 19 doubles, 9 triples, 21 homers, 52 RBI, 106 steals, .259/.361/.435 slash, and 6.7 WAR.

In his 30s, Nesin had some notable performances for Germany. In 2020, he had 27 hits, 21 runs, 19 steals, and 1.5 WAR in 22 games as the Germans were runner-up to the United States. They were division champs again in 2021 and took third in 2024. Nesin had 22 steals and 16 walks notably in 2024 with .957 OPS and 1.7 WAR. As of 2037, he’s one of only 26 players with 100+ career WBC steals.

Hamburg had become a regular contender shortly before Nesin’s arrival. They had the #1 seed in 2015, but lost to Antwerp in the Northern Conference Championship. The Hammers just missed the playoffs in 2016, then had division titles and first round exits in 2017-18. Nesin helped Hamburg extend their playoff and division title streak through 2023.

Nesin had led in steals with 92 in his final season with Stockholm. He then led four straight years for Hamburg, three of those with 108+ swipes. He won Silver Sluggers in 2020 and 2022. In 2021, Nesin won the batting title at .353 and led in runs (124), hits (214), and triples (30). In 2022, he had his career bests for runs (129), hits (219), triples (37), average (.354), slugging (.569), OPS (.971), wRC+ (168), and WAR (9.8). Nesin was the WARlord that year, finishing second in MVP voting.

In his 2019 debut, Hamburg finished 99-63 and went all the way to the European Championship, beating Berlin for the conference pennant and Zurich for the overall title. The Hammers were 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship. They exploded for a franchise-best 115-47 in 2020, but suffered a second round upset defeat to Amsterdam. Hamburg won 108 in 2021 and 107 in 2022.

The Hammers reclaimed the conference pennant in 2021, but couldn’t deny Munich’s repeat in the European Championship. Hamburg went 11-8 in the BGC, joining the Mavericks and three others in a tie for fourth (officially they were sixth). Hamburg lost in the 2022 conference final to 116-win Dublin, then had a second round exit in 2023.

Nesin’s playoff production was decent over 52 games with 65 hits, 32 runs, 11 doubles, 14 triples, 2 homers, 18 RBI, 26 steals, .293/.317/.495, 121 wRC+, and 1.7 WAR. The BGC stats were more underwhelming with 38 games, 27 hits, 28 runs, 3 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers, 13 RBI, 12 steals, .203/.340/.323 slash, and 0.3 WAR. Still, he was very popular and considered a key part of Hamburg’s successes of that era.

After the 2022 season, the now 34-year old Nesin signed a four-year, $109,600,000 extension with Hamburg. The playoff streak ended in 2024, although they stayed above .500 through 2026. Hamburg then fell towards the bottom of the standings to close the decade, only narrowly escaping relegation.

Nesin carried on, posting a career and conference best 116 steals in 2025 at age 36. He was one of the few to hit for the cycle twice, doing it in 2018 and 2021. Nesin did finally see a sharp decline in 2027 with career worsts for OPS (.720), wRC+ (97), and WAR (1.4). The season was still notable as he became the 13^th member of the 3000 hit club.

With Hamburg, Nesin played 1373 games with 1700 hits, 1005 runs, 207 doubles, 227 triples, 107 home runs, 551 RBI, 477 walks, 848 steals, .319/.377/.503 slash, 142 wRC+, and 57.7 WAR. Nesin was unsigned for all of 2028 and retired that winter at age 40. The Hammers quickly brought back in to retire his #10 uniform for his nine year run.

Nesin finished with 2578 games, 3030 hits, 1719 runs, 380 doubles, 405 triples, 187 home runs, 990 RBI, 861 walks, 1335 strikeouts, 1456 steals, 659 caught stealing, .308/.367/.486 slash, 136 wRC+, and 102.4 WAR. As of 2037, Nesin ranks 28^th in games, 14^th in runs, 16^th in hits, 39^th in total bases (4781), 11^th in singles (2058), 66^th in doubles, 5^th in triples, 3^rd in steals, 6^th in caught stealing, and 25^th in WAR among position players.

Specifically for games played in center field, Nesin is EBF’s all-time leader in WAR, games, runs, hits, total bases, singles, triples, and steals. On the world list as of 2037, Nesin is 9^th in triples and one of only 11 guys with 400+ for his career. He also ranks 25^th all-time in stolen bases. As far as leadoff guys go in world history, Nesin is on the shortlist.

You could argue Nesin is the top center fielder in European Baseball Federation history, although the EBF hasn’t seen the big stars as the spot as some other leagues. Nesin is the only EBF CF with 100+ WAR at the position despite only winning two Silver Sluggers and no Gold Gloves. As a leadoff guy with little home run power, some are hesitant to label Nesin as an “inner-circle” Hall of Famer. However, his candidacy wasn’t remotely in doubt. At 97.3%, Nesin co-headlined EBF’s four-player 2033 class.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-03-2025, 07:41 PM

Jean-Paul Lafontaine – First Base – Palermo Priests – 81.2% First Ballot

Jean-Paul Lafontaine was a 6’0’’, 195 pound right-handed first baseman from Meulan, France; a commune of just under 9,000 people near Paris. At his peak, Lafontaine was a good-to-great contact and power hitter against both sides equally. He also was above average at drawing walks and avoiding strikeouts. His 162 game average got you 39 home runs, 29 doubles, and 8 triples.

Lafontaine was also one of the craftiest and smarted baserunners you’d find, providing tons of value even with merely above average speed. He was a career first baseman and graded as a subpar defender. Lafontaine’s durability was impressive, playing 145+ games in all but his first and final seasons. He was one of the great team captains of the era, known for a strong work ethic, great leadership, and impressive loyalty. Lafontaine ended up extremely popular with fans and colleagues alike.

In January 2006, Lafontaine signed a developmental deal with Palermo as a teenager. The Priests were among the new franchises born into the European Second League for the 2005 season. Lafontaine spent the better part of six years in their fledgling academy. He debuted in E2L in 2010 with 61 games and 11 starts at age 20. Lafontaine was back to training for all of 2011, then took over the full-time gig for the Priests from 2012 through 2027.

Lafontaine was quickly one of the top players in E2L. He won 2012’s Rookie of the Year voting and a Silver Slugger in 2013. Lafontaine took third in 2013’s MVP voting and second in 2014. Palermo was generally above .500 in the early 2010s, but they weren’t yet at the playoff level. Lafontaine was determined to change that and committed to the Priests in September 2016 at $65,180,000 over eight years.

Palermo earned their first-ever playoff berth in 2016, finishing second at 103-59. They earned that promotion, upsetting Hanover 4-3 in the conference final and sweeping Ljubljana for the E2L Championship. Lafontaine went on an absolute tear in 17 playoff games with 30 hits, 24 runs, 5 doubles, 14 homers, 28 RBI, .441/.513/1.162 slash, 1.675 OPS, 392 wRC+, and 2.9 WAR. His run, homer, RBI, and total base (79) marks are all still E2L playoff records. Lafontaine was MVP of both the conference finals and the championship.

From there, Palermo was an instant contender in the EBF Elite Tier. They won a division title in their debut at 97-65 and made a surprise run to the Southern Conference Championship, although defeated by Thessaloniki. Lafontaine proved he could hang with Europe’s best, winning MVP and a Silver Slugger. He led in runs (126), hits (239), total bases (445), average (.377), slugging (.702), OPS (1.115), wRC+ (212), and WAR (11.0). Lafontaine also hit for the cycle in September against Rome.

Lafontaine was merely good in 2018 and Palermo dropped down to 73-89. They bounced back to a franchise-record 106-57 in 2019 and earned the #1 seed, winning a tiebreaker game for the South Central Division with Zurich. The 105-win Mountaineers had the last laugh, ousting the Priests 3-1 in the second round. This was Lafontaine’s best season by many metrics, winning his second MVP and another Slugger.

He scored 145 runs, breaking EBF’s single-season record, and still holds the record as of 2037. Lafontaine also led in hits (235), total bases (465), slugging (.755), OPS (1.166), and wRC+ (226). All of those sans the hit tally were career bests, as were his 54 homers, 19 triples, .381 average, .422 OBP, and 11.7 WAR. Lafontaine won a third MVP and a final Slugger in 2021 with conference-bests for runs (137), RBI (122), total bases (398), slugging (.671), OPS (1.074), wRC+ (194), and WAR (8.9).

Palermo stayed generally above .500 for the rest of Lafontaine’s tenure, but they never made any sort of playoff noise. They got wild cards in 2021, 24, and 26, but each effort ended with a first round loss. Lafontaine never had a crazy playoff tear like in the 2016 E2L season, but his EBF stats were solid in the small sample size. In 20 playoff starts, Lafontaine had 25 hits, 11 runs, 2 doubles, 2 triples, 4 homers, 7 RBI, .329/.386/.566 slash, 167 wRC+, and 0.9 WAR.

While he became a superstar playing in Sicily, Lafontaine was also beloved back home in France and was a regular in the World Baseball Championship. From 2013-24, he played 113 games with 98 hits, 65 runs, 20 doubles, 24 homers, 59 RBI, 27 steals, .244/.314/.484 slash, 127 wRC+, and 3.7 WAR. Lafontaine was also part of France’s first world championship in 2024, although he notably struggled on the field in that event.

Lafontaine’s contract expired with Palermo after the 2024 season, sending him to free agency for the first time at age 35. His numbers had dipped noticeably from the MVP days, but he had still been good for around 4-6 WAR and 35+ homers since his last MVP. The Priests re-signed their beloved star to a three-year, $56,400,000 deal. He remained a decent contributor during that run and his #11 uniform would be retired shortly after his career ended.

However, Palermo didn’t re-sign him after the deal expired, sending Lafontaine to free agency for 2028 at age 38. Combining his EBF and E2L stats for Palermo, Lafontaine had 2558 games, 2946 hits, 1631 runs, 469 doubles, 127 triples, 633 home runs, 1613 RBI, 736 walks, 584 steals, .314/.367/.593 slash, 173 wRC+, and 111.6 WAR. He was the franchise’s first star and a big reason for their initial promotion, remaining in the top tier until 2032.

EBF teams thought he was over-the-hill and he broadened his search, landing in Egypt on a two-year, $14,440,000 deal with Giza of Arab League Baseball. Lafontaine was a full-timer in 2028 with unremarkable results with .806 OPS, 101 wRC+, and 1.9 WAR in 161 games. He was terrible and benched in 2029 with .547 OPS and -0.8 WAR in 51 games. Lafontaine retired after the 2029 campaign at age 40.

For his EBF Elite run specifically, Lafontaine had 1707 games, 2044 hits, 1151 runs, 297 doubles, 109 triples, 435 home runs, 1117 RBI, 429 walks, 1100 strikeouts, 516 steals, .321/.366/.606 slash, 168 wRC+, and 70.7 WAR. As of 2037, he isn’t in the top 100 in any counting stat, losing accumulations since his first six seasons were in E2L. Among batters with 3000+ EBF plate appearances though, Lafontaine’s .972 OPS ranks 54^th and his slugging is 49^th.

Even if the accumulations were lower than most Hall of Famers, many voters didn’t hold that strongly against Lafontaine. Not many guys had three MVPs or led thrice in OPS. Lafontaine was also the key reason Palermo got promoted to begin with and had the single-season runs scored record. Those accolades got Lafontaine to 81.2% for a first ballot selection, joining the four-player 2033 HOF class for the European Baseball Federation.

Wilfried “Looney Tunes” Bergmann – Closer – Hamburg Hammers – 72.3% First Ballot

Wilfried Bergmann was a 6’4’’, 200 pound left-handed relief pitcher from Lucka, Germany; a town of 3,500 inhabitants in the country’s east. Nicknamed “Looney Tunes” for his love of Bugs Bunny and the gang, Bergmann had strong stuff along with good-to-great movement and control. He peaked at 96-98 mph with his cutter, but it was his impressive curveball that go the most whiffs.

As relievers go, Bergmann’s stamina and durability were both excellent. He also had an awesome pickoff move and was great at holding runners. Defensively, he graded as above average. As a big lefty, Bergmann caught scouts’ eyes from a young age. In July 2009, he signed a developmental deal with Hamburg. Bergmann’s official debut came in 2014 at age 21 with four appearances.

The Hammers liked what they saw and made Bergmann their closer from 2015 through 2022, only really missing games in 2018 to a forearm strain. He was immediately in the Reliever of the Year conversation, taking third in 2015, second in 2017, third in 2018, and second in 2019. 2015 was Bergmann’s best ERA as a closer at 1.87, while 2017 had his highest WAR at 4.2. 2019 was his first time as the saves leader with 40.

Hamburg emerged as a regular contender concurrent to Bergmann’s ascension. They took the top seed in 2015 at 109-53, but fell to Antwerp in the Northern Conference Championship. After missing the playoffs in 2016, Hamburg won seven straight division titles from 2017. In 2019, the Hammers broke through and defeated Zurich in the European Championship. They finished 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship.

Bergmann won his first Reliever of the Year in 2020, then took second in both 2021-22. He had 46 saves in 2020, then led the conference with a career-best 48 in 2021. Bergmann also led in saves (39) and games (74) in 2022. Hamburg set a franchise record at 115-47, but got upset in the second round. They won the conference title in 2021, but lost the European Championship to Munich with an 11-8 finish in the BGC. In 2022, the Hammers lost the conference final to Dublin.

The playoff stats for Bergmann were solid overall, tossing 59.2 innings over 36 games with 18 saves and 23 shutdowns, a 6-3 record, 2.26 ERA, 75 strikeouts, 6 walks, 172 ERA+, 59 FIP-, and 2.2 WAR. As of 2037, Bergmann ranks 5^th in playoff saves. He was great in his 17.2 innings in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 1.02 ERA, 6 saves, 5-0 record over 14 games, 31 strikeouts, and 1.3 WAR.

Bergmann also did see action for Germany in the World Baseball Championship from 2016-27, sporadically seeing use as a starter. In 116.2 innings, he had a 10-3 record and 11 saves, 2.39 ERA, 167 strikeouts, 27 walks, and 3.8 WAR. The Germans notably finished second in 2020 and third in 2024.

After the 2022 season, Bergmann left Hamburg for free agency at age 30. With the Hammers, he had 280 saves and 277 shutdowns, 53-46 record, 2.37 ERA, 541 games, 612.1 innings, 740 strikeouts, 122 walks, 163 ERA+, 58 FIP-, and 22.4 WAR. Hamburg later retired his #1 uniform for his important role in their late 2010s-early 2020s success.

Bergmann signed a two-year, $14,600,000 deal with Warsaw, but things quickly went south. He was relegated to long relief with 3.30 ERA over 60 innings in 2023 and was eventually traded at the deadline to Nottingham for two prospects. To his annoyance, that meant Bergmann finished the year in the European Second League. However, the North Stars earned a promotion that year, bringing Bergmann back to the top tier for 2024.

He was back to the closer role with decent results, getting 29 saves with a 2.80 ERA over 64.1 innings. While there, Bergmann earned his 300^th career save. However, the season ended in mid-August with bone chips in his elbow. A free agent again at age 32, Bergmann inked a three-year, $18,900,000 deal with Palermo.

Bergmann was subpar over 84.2 innings with the Priests in a split long relief/starter role with a 4.89 ERA. They traded him to Odesa in July straight up for catcher Shaun Kempe. Bergmann reclaimed the closer role in 2026 and had a resurgent year with 31 saves, 1.88 ERA, and 3.7 WAR; winning his second Reliever of the Year. This also got him to 353 career saves, only the fourth to reach 350+ in EBF. The top mark, 368 by Roman Jongmans, was in sight.

He had another solid year in 2027 for Odesa with 34 saves and a 2.55 ERA over 77.2 innings. Bergmann broke Jongmans’ 70+ year record and became EBF’s all-time saves leader. Overall for the Drifters he finished with 77 saves, 2.03 ERA, 204 innings, 242 strikeouts, 189 ERA+, and 8.3 WAR.

Bergmann was at 387 saves and had a shot to become the first in EBF with 400+ Palermo gave him a second shot at one year and $5,500,000. However, Bergmann’s velocity took a sharp drop. He went from 96-98 mph for most of his career, down to 94-96 mph in 2027, then 91-93 mph in 2028. Bergmann was employed all of 2028 by the Priests, but he never saw the field. He retired that winter at age 36.

The final EBF numbers for Bergmann: 396 saves and 419 shutdowns, 89-73 record, 2.59 ERA, 843 games, 1051.1 innings, 1244 strikeouts, 214 walks, 147 ERA+, 63 FIP-, and 34.2 WAR. As of 2037, he is 2^nd in saves as he’d get passed in the 2030s by Dominic Voicu. Among EBF pitchers with 1000+ innings, Bergmann ranks 43^rd in ERA and his .607 opponent’s OPS is 55^th. He also is 41^st in K/9 (10.61), 72^nd in H/9 (7.33), 61^st in WHIP (1.02), and his .212/.263/.344 triple slash is 64^th/50^th/75^th.

When compared to the other great closers of world history, Bergmann’s rate stats aren’t even close to top 50 level. The European Baseball Federation hadn’t seen many great closers and compared to the other four Hall of Famers before Bergmann, he had the worst ERA. But he was second in WAR and strikeouts among that group.

Bergmann managed pretty good accumulations over a relatively short career, although more stingy voters felt he was nowhere near dominant enough to deserve a spot. However, it is hard to leave out your league’s saves leader. Plus, Bergmann had two Reliever of the Year wins and was a finalist in more than half of his seasons. He received 72.3%, enough to breach the 66% requirement for a first ballot nod. With that, Bergmann was the fourth and final selection in a strong 2033 class for EBF.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-04-2025, 07:10 AM

Pitcher Andrei Linev stood alone for induction into the Eurasian Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in 2033 with a near unanimous 99.0%. 1B Zygmunt Socha came close to the 66% requirement, but just missed with a 62.7% debut. SP Yaroslav Alalykin also had a nice debut at 59.5%. Four returners were above 50% with 1B Sergie Stoev at 58.8% on his third ballot, 3B Tayyar Abdualiyev with 58.5% for his third go, 1B Roman Stanchinsky at 51.8% on his sixth try, and 3B Vladyslav Chychykov with 51.1% in his sixth ballot. No one was dropped after ten failed ballots in 2033, in fact the only players removed were six debuts below 5%.

Andrei Linev – Starting Pitcher – Moscow Mules – 99.0% First Ballot

Andrei Linev was a 6’0’’, 190 pound right-handed pitcher from Voronezh, Russia; a city of just over one million in the country’s southwest. Linev had excellent stuff and control along with above average movement. His 99-101 mph fastball was among the best in the game, but his forkball, changeup, and cutter were each rock solid options.

Compared to other EPB aces, Linev’s stamina was considered average. Great durability more than made up for that and Linev tossed 200+ innings in each of his full seasons. His big, powerful release effort despite his average size did lead troubles holding runners. Linev also graded as mediocre defensively. He was appreciated by his peers for his loyalty and adaptability, becoming a popular player over a 16-year run in the Russian capital.

In December 2007, a teenage Linev made the move to Moscow on a developmental deal. He spent most of five years in their academy, debuting in 2012 with 15.1 innings at age 21. Linev was made a full-time starter in 2013, although he wasn’t ready with a lackluster 4.55 ERA in 2013. He put things together in 2014, his first of 13 consecutive seasons worth 6+ WAR. That earned a second place in Pitcher of the Year voting.

Linev earned his lone POTY in 2015, leading the European League in wins (21-5), strikeouts (305), K/BB (12.2), quality starts (27), and WAR (7.2). His 2.00 ERA fell only ten points short of a Triple Crown season. This would be Linev’s career best for ERA and wins, although he’d have six more seasons with a higher WAR total. Moscow also won the EL pennant, but lost the EPB Championship to Ufa.

Moscow barely made the playoffs in 2016 at 83-79, but shocked 104-win Rostov in the ELCS and upset Ufa in a finals rematch. The Mules went 9-10 in the Baseball Grand Championship, but Linev was dominant in the event with a 0.67 ERA over 26.2 innings with 41 Ks. He won Best Pitcher and even was second in MVP voting. That helped Linev earn a reputation as a big game pitcher, although his career playoff numbers weren’t anything special in the end.

Linev was a regular for Russia in the World Baseball Championship from 2014-27. In 114 innings, he had an 8-10 record, 3.87 ERA, 146 strikeouts, 39 walks, and 2.0 WAR. Their lone playoff appearance during that stretch was a division title in 2023. That was notably Linev’s best performance in the WBC with a 0.43 ERA over 21 innings and 31 strikeouts.

In 2018 and 2020, Linev was second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He led the EL in strikeouts and WAR in both 2018-19. Linev also had the best WHIP in 2018-20 and 2022-23. He had nine seasons with 300+ strikeouts, peaking with 338 in 2023. Linev notably saw his highest WAR in 2022 at 10.0. He held remarkably steady production into his mid 30s and signed a four-year, $54,800,000 extension with Moscow after the 2023 campaign.

The Mules remained a regular contender with playoff trips from 2018-21 and in both 2023 and 2025. Moscow won the European League pennant in 2019, 2021, and 2025, but lost the EPB Championship to Chelyabinsk, Perm, and Krasnoyarsk respectively. 2019 was Linev’s best postseason statistically with an 0.82 ERA over 22 innings with 30 strikeouts.

For his playoff career, Linev had a 2.98 ERA over 175.1 innings, 9-10 record, 225 strikeouts, 25 walks, and 6.6 WAR. His 107 ERA+ is merely okay, but his 55 FIP- and high WAR total suggests Linev was stronger than the traditional stats may suggest. As of 2037, he ranks 5^th in playoff pitching WAR and 9^th in strikeouts.

Linev kept on rolling, getting both his 200^th career win and 4000^th strikeout both on April 28, 2026. In 2027, his velocity had dipped from his usual triple-digit peaks, although he was still hitting 96-98 mph. Linev had a 3.30 ERA over 240.1 innings with 4.8 WAR, still a fine season for most pitchers. However, it was his lowest across the board since his rookie year. Moscow declined the team option year in his deal and Linev decided to retire that winter at age 36. The Mules immediately retired his #26 uniform for his role in 15 years, five pennants, and one EPB Championship.

In total, Linev had a 227-138 record, 2.62 ERA, 3624.2 innings, 4480 strikeouts, 436 walks, 325/461 quality starts, 107 complete games, 20 shutouts, 121 ERA+, 66 FIP-, and 110.8 WAR. As of 2037, Linev is 28^th in wins, 39^th in innings, 17^th in strikeouts, and 13^th in pitching WAR. He’s also notably 13^th in career BB/9 (1.08) among pitchers with 1000+ innings and 39^th in WHIP.

Linev isn’t at the very tip top among the many excellent pitchers to come through Eurasian Professional Baseball, but his resume was a slam dunk. He’s one of those guys that was probably even better than traditional metrics suggest at face value. Still, those traditional metrics got him 99.0% of the vote, standing alone for induction in 2033 into EPB’s Hall of Fame.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-04-2025, 07:48 PM

It was a very strong four-player Hall of Fame class in 2033 for the Oceania Baseball Association co-headlined by SP Akira Brady (99.7%) and 1B/DH Roe Kaupa (98.6%). SP Steve Stringer also got a first ballot nod, although his 72.3% was only a few points ahead of the 66% requirement. SP Alison Kila also sneaked past that number at 67.2% on his second ballot. 3B Dale Harper barely missed at 63.5% on his fifth try and 1B R.W. Putnam saw 55.7% for his fourth trip. No one was removed after ten failed ballots in 2033 for OBA.

Akira Brady – Starting Pitcher – Fiji Freedom – 99.7% First Ballot

Akira Brady was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed starting pitcher from Palmerston North, New Zealand; a city of around 91,000 on the North Island. Brady had exceptional stuff that many scouts rated as a 10/10 at his peak. He also had excellent control of his arsenal and above average movement. Brady’s arsenal had a 98-100 mph fastball, curveball, slider, and changeup. He was a master at changing speeds and his sidearm release was difficult for many hitters to solve.

Brady’s stamina was stellar in his prime and combined with OBA’s unique four-man rotation led to remarkable inning counts. From 2009-20, Brady was good for 310+ innings each year and he led the Pacific League six times. His durability was also great for much of his career, although the wear and tear did catch up to him in his late 30s.

He was very good at holding runners and won a Gold Glove in 2018, although his career defensive metrics were unremarkable. Brady wasn’t particularly book smart, but his raw ability and talent more than made up for that. He became extremely popular worldwide for his wild strikeout and inning counts, inserting himself into the conversation as a top five pitcher in all of professional baseball history.

Brady’s production was impossible to miss despite spending his prime seasons in a small island nation like Fiji. He left New Zealand in August 2003 as a teenager on a developmental deal with the Freedom. Brady made his debut in 2008 at age 21 with promising results, taking second in Rookie of the Year voting. In his second season, Brady led the PL in wins and complete games. He also earned notoriety across OBA with the association’s 12^th perfect game, striking out eight facing Tahiti on May 22.

From his third season in 2010 through 2020, Brady was the undisputed best pitcher in OBA and arguably the best pitcher in the world. He led all 11 years in strikeouts with 440+ each year. Brady was the WARlord ten times with eight seasons at 13+ WAR. He won five ERA titles, led in wins four times, WHIP seven times, quality starts eight times, complete games four times, and shutouts six times. Brady won Pitcher of the Year eight times (2010-13, 16, 18-20), one of nine in world history to win that honor 8+ times. He was also third in 2015 and 2017’s voting. Brady never won MVP, but was third in 2011 and second in 2016, 2018, and 2020.

As of 2037, there have been 51 seasons in world history where a pitcher struck out 450+ batters; Brady has eight of those. In 2013, Brady had only the fourth season in world history of 500+ Ks at 507, then topped it with 512 in 2018. The only seasons with more was world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos with 549 in 1936 and 514 in 1934, as well as OBA’s Tarzan Rao with 524 in 1983. Brady has five of the top ten OBA seasons for K/9, peaking at 13.33 in 2015 (fourth-best).

In 2020, Brady also set the single-season world record for innings pitched with 358. 340+ has only happened 25 times, four by Brady. Brady has seven 13+ WAR seasons, tied with legendary ABF shortstop Nizami Aghazade for the second-most in world history; only Ramos has more with eight. Brady’s highest WAR came in 2018 at 16.1 WAR, the same year as his career best for strikeouts (512) and wins (30-7). He’s one of only three in world history (all in OBA) with a 30 win season.

As of 2037, there have only been 89 qualified seasons in OBA of an ERA below two. Brady did it thrice, including his best 1.37 ERA in 2011. That stands as the third-best in OBA history behind only Flynn Rodden’s 1.29 in 1967 and Matthew Falefa’s 1.30 in 1972. Brady’s 0.69 WHIP from 2011 also is tied for third in OBA history and his .461 opponent’s OPS ranks sixth. That year’s .165/.200/.261 triple slash ranks 9^th/5^th/14^th.

In 2019, Brady posted one of only 38 seasons in world history of 10+ shutouts and one of only nine with 30+ complete games. Two of those in 2019 were no-hitters with 12 Ks and 2 walks on May 21 against Vanuatu and with 15 Ks facing Timor on June 16. Brady tossed his OBA-record fourth no-no on May 8, 2020 with 12 strikeouts and one walk against Guadalcanal. He had five 20+ strikeout games, peaking with 21 over 12 innings on 5/30/13 against Vanuatu. The only OBA ace with more was Jack Nix with 23 in 9.2 innings in 1983.

All of this dominance and the big stats made Brady an international favorite for highlight clips online. In July 2012, Fiji signed him to a seven-year, $52,500,000 extension. Brady then inked another six years and $75,600,000 in April 2019. Despite his efforts, the Freedom had limited team success. They had been historically mediocre, sans their two pennants just before his arrival in 2002 and 2006.

Brady goes down as likely the best player in baseball history to never see his league’s postseason. Fiji was usually at or around .500, averaging 77.9 wins per season during his tenure. They really only got close to the pennant once with a 92-70 finish in 2018, one game behind Samoa. He did see action in the World Baseball Championship from 2009-15 and from 2019-24 with his native New Zealand, although his stats were a mixed bag. Brady had a 3.42 ERA and 11-14 record in 229 innings, but did strikeout out 371 with 47 walks, 105 ERA+, 85 FIP-, and 5.6 WAR.

Because of the huge inning totals, Brady was soaring up the leaderboards even by his early 30s. In 2020, he became OBA’s third pitcher to 300 career wins. The year before, Brady was the sixth to reach 5000 strikeouts. He finished 2020 with 155.0 career WAR, passing pitcher Tarzan Rao (154.9) for the all-time spot within OBA. Rao’s wins record (314) and Timothy Manglona’s strikeout record (5771) both seemed like inevitable conquests.

At age 34 in 2021, Brady saw his first notable injury setbacks. He only made 19 starts with 147.2 innings, sidelined by recurring back spasms and an undisclosed injury. Still, he passed Manglona to become OBA’s strikeout king. Brady was back healthy in 2022 and took second in Pitcher of the Year voting. It was his last excellent season with 412 Ks over 314 innings, 2.58 ERA, and 9.2 WAR. He passed Rao as the OBA wins leader and became the fifth pitcher in all of world history with 6000+ career Ks.

The world records for wins (398 by CABA/MLB’s Ulices Montero), strikeouts (7747 by Ramos), innings (5953.2 by Montero), and complete games (386 by EPB’s Alvi Tahiri) also seemed potentially reachable for Brady. Some thought he might even chase Ramos for the pitching WARlord title at 205.1. Unfortunately, injuries started to thwart those hopes. Thanks to shoulder inflammation, Brady was limited to only 61.1 innings and 10 appearances in 2023.

In 2024, Brady became only the fourth in world history with 350+ career wins. However, a ruptured finger tendon in July limited him to only 181.1 innings. Brady’s strikeout tallies were way down with 181, but he was still effective with 2.13 ERA and 4.2 WAR. His stuff and velocity had started to dip, but his excellent control still allowed for effectiveness.

After usually being mid-tier for his run, Fiji fell off a cliff in Brady’s final years with a 53-109 record in 2023 and 57-105 in 2024. His contract expired with the 2024 campaign and they mutually parted ways, sending Brady to free agency for the first time at age 37. He remained a beloved franchise and OBA icon and his 8 uniform was retired shortly after his career ended.

Brady still had value and name recognition, drawing the attention of clubs across the globe. He ended up joining Major League Baseball in March 2025 on a three-year, $79,800,000 deal with Phoenix. Brady stayed healthy in 2025-26 for the Firebirds and ate some innings, but his elite days were gone. For Phoenix, Brady had a 31-21 record, 3.84 ERA, 506 innings, 249 strikeouts, 95 walks, 113 ERA+, 99 FIP-, and 6.9 WAR.

His velocity really plummeted quickly, falling to a 92-94 mph peak in 2026 and down to 86-88 mph by 2027. Brady’s control still got him to a 3.10 ERA in 20.1 innings in 2027 for Phoenix, but only four strikeouts. They cut him in May as a salary dump. Brady returned to OBA with Port Moresby, but he only saw two relief appearances as a shell of his former shelf. The Mud Hens did win the OBA title that winter, giving Brady a championship ring for 2.1 innings of work. He retired that winter at age 40.

In OBA, Brady finished with a 351-171 record, 2.38 ERA, 4976 innings, 627 games, 592 starts, 6476 strikeouts, 736 walks, 451/592 quality starts, 328 complete games, 75 shutouts, 151 ERA+, 62 FIP-, and 173.5 WAR. As of 2037, Brady is OBA’s all-time leader in wins, complete games, shutouts, innings, strikeouts, and WAR among all players. For rate stats (1000+ innings required), Brady is 18^th in ERA, 4^th in WHIP (0.87), 9^th in K/9 (11.71), 16^th in H/9 (6.49), and 36^th in BB/9 (1.33). His .565 opponent’s OPS ranks 19^th with his .201/.238/.327 triple slash ranking 16^th/7^th/31^st.

Brady is most often cited as OBA’s best-ever pitcher and/or the best-ever player. He does have legitimate competition from aces Rao and Manglona, who both had starring roles in dynasty runs for their teams while Fiji was aggressively mid. Brady beats them for tallies and strikeouts especially, but the rate stats are comparable. Some might cite SS/SB Jimmy Caliw, the WAR leader for position players at 138.0 in OBA and 214.0 total with his MLB run. Brady’s Hall of Fame classmate Roe Kaupa also gets some consideration as the OBA leader in homers, RBI, and runs.

For his combined pro career, Brady had a 382-192 record, 2.52 ERA, 694 games, 657 starts, 5482 innings, 6725 strikeouts, 831 walks, 483 quality starts, 359 complete games, 78 shutouts, 146 ERA+, 65 FIP-, and 180.4 WAR. On the world leaderboards as of 2037, Brady ranks 2^nd in wins, 4^th in strikeouts, 6^th in innings, 2^nd in complete games, 3^rd in shutouts, 7^th in quality starts, and 3^rd in pitching WAR. Brady sits 10^th on the all-time WAR board of all players ever and leads all players born in Oceania. His ERA+ also is tied for 46^th among starters that are HOFers or retired locks.

Most scholars keep Ramos and Montero ahead of Brady when discussing the greatest pitcher in all of baseball history. Still, Brady gets mentioned in that conversation and generally gets cited as a top five or top ten ace in world history. He’s one of the game’s true immortals, easily New Zealand’s best-ever and usually considered the best-ever born in Oceania. Brady earned a near unanimous 99.7% for the Oceania Baseball Association’s four-player 2033 class, co-headlining with HR leader Roe Kaupa.

Roe Kaupa – First Base/Designated Hitter – Vanuatu Wizards – 98.6% First Ballot

Roe Kaupa was a 6’2’’, 200 pound left-handed first baseman from Angoram, Papua New Guinea; a district of around 98,000 in the country’s East Sepik Province. Kaupa was renowned for his home run power, rated by most scouts as a 10/10 for most of his career. Kaupa was the Pacific League leader in home runs 11 times and smacked 40+ dingers each year from 2010-25. He also hit 50+ ten times and 60+ four times.

Kaupa wasn’t all dingers though, as he was also a good-to-great contact hitter against both sides. He also had a strong knack for drawing walks, although his strikeout rate was below average. Kaupa was especially dominant facing right-handed pitching with a career 1.073 OPS and 195 wRC+, although he was still solid against lefties with .845 OPS and 140 wRC+.

His gap power was also solid with 24 doubles and 10 triples per his 162 game average. Add that to his massive home run tallies and nearly 50% of Kaupa’s career hits went for extra bases. He rated as just below average on the basepaths, but he wasn’t a complete liability there like many big sluggers. Kaupa had an extreme pull tendency on groundballs but was a spray hitter for flyballs.

Kaupa’s biggest weakness was defense as a subpar first baseman, but you could do worse. Close to 60% of his starts came at 1B with the rest as a designated hitter. Kaupa’s durability was fantastic, starting 140+ games each year from 2009-26. He became an absolute megastar across Oceania and his towering homers made him world famous.

His power potential was obvious as Kaupa dominated the amateur ranks of Papua New Guinea. He was the #1 overall pick in the 2006 OBA Draft by Timor, who was one of the four expansion teams starting play that season. The Tapirs didn’t throw Kaupa immediately into the fire with only 11 games in 2007 and 87 with 33 starts in 2008. He earned a full-time starting gig in 2009 and started his streak of 40+ homer seasons in 2010.

Kaupa arrived as a truly elite hitter in 2011, winning his first MVP and a Silver Slugger as a DH. He led the Pacific League in homers (59), total bases (411), slugging (.712), OPS (1.108), and wRC+ (215). Kaupa led with 123 RBI in 2012 and won a Silver Slugger at first base. Despite his efforts, Timor was still atrocious in their early years. 2012 was a new franchise record for them, but it isn’t saying much when 68-94 is your best effort after seven seasons. The Tapirs also didn’t have the financial means to afford the mammoth money a guy like Kaupa was expected to get on the market.

He left for free agency after the 2012 season heading towards only age 26. With Timor, Kaupa had 730 games, 742 hits, 393 runs, 118 doubles, 49 triples, 173 home runs, 425 RBI, .297/.356/.592 slash, 168 wRC+, and 24.2 WAR. Christchurch won the sweepstakes for Kaupa’s services on an eight-year, $117,400,000 deal. The Chinooks were on a 13-year pennant drought, having spent that gap generally in the middle of the standings.

Kaupa helped turn Christchurch into a dynasty with four consecutive Australasia League pennants from 2013-16. He was the MVP in 2013, 14, and 16 with a second place in 2015. Kaupa won Silver Sluggers each year as a DH and was the leader in homers and runs scored all four seasons. In 2013, Kaupa’s 134 runs fell two short of the OBA single-season record. He also had his first 60+ homer season (63) and added 1.144 OPS, 212 wRC+, and 10.0 WAR.

In 2014, Kaupa’s 159 RBI fell two short of Vavao Brighouse’s single-season record from 1995 and his 66 homers fell three short of Brighouse’s 1988 and 1995 efforts. These would be career bests for Kaupa, who got only the ninth hitting Triple Crown in OBA history. His .335/.410/.771 triple slash and 10.1 WAR would be career bests, as would his 467 total bases and 38 triples.

The 467 total bases ranks second in OBA history behind Merlin Megson’s 472 from 2013. Interestingly enough, Kaupa and Megson hold the top six seasons in OBA for total bases, all taking place from 2012-16. Kaupa’s 1.180 OPS from 2014 also ranks second in OBA history behind only Megson’s 1.209 from 2013. In 2016, Kaupa’s 142 runs broke the single-season OBA record and still holds as of 2037. Kaupa also holds the #2, #6, #7, and 8 seasons for OPS in OBA history from this run. He also hit for the cycle in July 2016 against Melbourne.

Christchurch went 110-52 in 2013 and defeated 115-win Guadalcanal in the Oceania Championship. Kaupa was surprisingly weak in the series with -0.1 WAR, but he fared better with .859 OPS and 0.7 WAR in the Baseball Grand Championship with the Chinooks at 8-11.

In 2014, Christchurch repeated as OBA champ at 105-57, knocking off Tahiti in the final. Kaupa had .956 OPS in the series and 1.139 OPS in the BGC, pushing the Chinooks to a third place finish at 13-6. He was second in Tournament MVP honors with 12 homers, 19 hits, 16 runs, 32 RBI, and 1.3 WAR. The 32 RBI set the event record which has only been matched once since.

The Chinooks narrowly took the 2015 AL title and lost in a finals rematch with Tahiti. Christchurch then had an historic 126-36 season, tying the world record for wins with Ho Chi Minh City from the 1993 South Asia Baseball season. Like the Hedgehogs, the Chinooks were unable to win it all, getting upset by 107-win Guam in the Oceania Championship. Kaupa’s stats in the OBA final overall was merely decent over 24 starts with 21 hits, 10 runs, 4 doubles, 5 homers, 12 RBI, .844 OPS, 120 wRC+, and 0.5 WAR.

Kaupa was a beast again though in the Baseball Grand Championship as Christchurch was the at-large in 2016. He had 19 hits, 13 runs, 9 homers, 19 RBI, 1.046 OPS, 210 wRC+, and 1.2 WAR. The Chinooks finished 11-8 in a five-way tie for fifth, while Guam took top honors at 13-6. It goes down as a “what if?” for 2016 Christchurch, who if not for the Golden Eagles might have made a case as the greatest team in baseball history.

In 2017, Christchurch fell one game short of the AL pennant to Brisbane. Kaupa still won a Silver Slugger as a DH, but had a comparatively down year although he still led in slugging at .651. His contract still had three years left, but Kaupa surprised many by opting out after the 2017 campaign. This sent him to free agency for the second time ahead of his age 31 season.

In five seasons for the Chinooks, Kaupa played 801 games, 983 hits, 652 runs, 154 doubles, 65 triples, 299 home runs, 660 RBI, .326/.395/.717 slash, 196 wRC+, and 44.6 WAR. The Christchurch run launched Kaupa to superstardom and certainly was his most impactful tenure. He’d remain extremely popular in New Zealand for his starring role in the Chinooks dynasty.

Kaupa’s longest tenure came next with Vanuatu, signing at $94,700,000 over seven years. The Wizards had joined in the same expansion as Timor, although they had at least made it to .500 or better throughout the mid 2010s. The hope for Vanuatu was that Kaupa could deliver them their first-ever title. He never reached his Christchurch peak again, but Kaupa remained an elite slugger with the Wizards.

From 2019-24, Kaupa led the Pacific League each year in home runs and just missed in 2018. In that seven year stretch, he also led thrice in RBI, once in runs, twice in walks, twice in total bases, thrice in OBP, five times in slugging, five times in OPS, and four times in wRC+. Kaupa was a full-time first baseman for Vanuatu and won Silver Sluggers each year from 2018-25. He finished as 15-time winner, leading all OBA players. As of 2037, only 13 players in world history have earned 15+ Sluggers in their career.

Kaupa was also a regular MVP finalist with the Wizards. He was third in 2018, 19, 20, and 21; then took second in 2022. Kaupa won his fifth MVP in 2024, which had his Vanuatu career bests for runs (112), hits (178), homers (61), RBI (126), walks (81), total bases (398), OBP (.406), slugging (.712), OPS (1.118), wRC+ (211), and WAR (9.9). That spring, the Wizards gave Kaupa a three-year, $65 million extension. Kaupa also hit for the cycle that summer against Samoa and is one of only 18 in OBA history to reach the cycle multiple times.

Vanuatu took third in the 2019 PL standings and second in 2020, the closest they had come yet to a pennant. The Wizards broke through in 2021 at 102-60 and were the first expansion team to claim the Oceania Championship, defeating a resurgent Christchurch. Kaupa had .960 OPS over the seven game series and had another strong BGC with 1.108 OPS, 6 homers, 14 RBI, 16 hits, and 11 runs. Vanuatu finished 11-8, one of five teams tied for fourth.

Kaupa’s stats in the BGC stage were especially impressive against the world’s best teams. In 76 games, he had 74 hits, 53 runs, 9 doubles, 33 homers, 74 RBI, .273/.354/.679 slash, and 4.2 WAR. As of 2037, Kaupa ranks 14^th in home runs, 9^th in RBI, 22^nd in runs, and 21^st in WAR for position players in event history. His 184 total bases also rank 18^th.

Vanuatu repeated as PL champ in 2022, but lost the Oceania Championship to Sydney. They stayed in the top half of the standings for the rest of Kaupa’s tenure, but ceded the top spot to Port Moresby’s dynasty. Kaupa’s overall stats in the OBA final weren’t bad, but weren’t as epic as his regular season or BGC numbers. In 35 games, he had 32 hits, 17 runs, 4 doubles, 11 homers, 22 RBI, .250/.333/.555 slash, 136 wRC+, and 1.1 WAR.

In his later years, Kaupa began soaring up the OBA leaderboards. In 2024, he joined Brighouse as the only OBA sluggers with 800+ homers and quickly raced by his 804 to become the OBA king. Kaupa went onto get 930 homers, one of only 23 in world history in the 900 club as of 2037. In 2022, Kaupa was the sixth to 1500 runs scored in OBA and passed Adrian Kali’s 1704 to become the runs leader in 2024. He finished 2025 with 1998 RBI, passing Junia Lava’s 1989 to become the OBA leader there.

Kaupa’s power numbers dipped in 2026 to 36 homers, 85 RBI, and .836 OPS. However, that got him to the 900 home run club. He joined the 3000 hit club in 2026 as OBA’s fifth member. Some thought he had a shot at Kali for OBA’s hit king (3467), but Kaupa would fall short there. He did notably race past Kali to become OBA’s leader in total bases. Kaupa moved into #2 in WAR for position players, although he would fail to pass Jimmy Caliw’s 138.0.

He was still starter quality for 2026, but Kaupa declined sharply in 2027 with 16 homers, .650 OPS, and -0.5 WAR over 100 games. He retired that winter at age 40 and immediately had his #21 retired by Vanuatu, the first number retired by the franchise. For the Wizards, Kaupa played 1488 games with 1475 hits, 918 runs, 184 doubles, 74 triples, 458 home runs, 1042 RBI, .286/.365/.617 slash, 177 wRC+, and 59.1 WAR.

Kaupa’s grand totals had 3019 games, 3200 hits, 1963 runs, 456 doubles, 188 triples, 930 home runs, 2127 RBI, 1117 walks, 2432 strikeouts, 340 steals, .300/.372/.639 slash, 1.011 OPS, 180 wRC+, and 127.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kaupa remains the OBA all-time leader in runs, total bases (6822), homers, and RBI. He also ranks 4^th in games, 4^th in hits, 12^th in doubles, 5^th in walks, and 8^th in strikeouts.

Among batters with 3000+ plate appearances, Kaupa’s OPS is second only to Merlin Megson’s 1.044. Kaupa also ranks 48^th in batting average, 3^rd in OBP, and 2^nd in slugging. Against the world’s Hall of Famers and retired locks, Kaupa is 34^th in OPS and 27^th in slugging. As of 2037, Kaupa is 16^th in the world for homers, 37^th in RBI, and 45^th in runs.

Kaupa is certainly on the shortlist for greatest sluggers and pure hitters in baseball history. Many suggest he’s the best batter ever to come from the Oceania Baseball Association. Kaupa does lose some points for spending a lot of time as a DH. The best position player for OBA often goes to SS/2B Jimmy Caliw, who had 138 WAR in OBA and over 200 when adding his later MLB totals.

In any result, Kaupa makes almost all top ten lists and most top fives when discussing OBA’s best-ever position players. It’s hard to top the resume of five MVPs; the leader in runs, homers, and RBI; three OBA titles, six league pennants, and 15 Silver Sluggers. Kaupa was key to Christchurch’s dynasty and to Vanuatu’s first titles. At 98.6%, he co-headlined the impressive four-player 2033 HOF class for OBA alongside Akira Brady.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-05-2025, 06:14 AM

Steve Stringer – Starting Pitcher – Auckland Avengers – 72.3% First Ballot

Steve Stringer was a 5’11’’, 195 pound right-handed pitcher from Melbourne, Australia. Stringer was known for good-to-great stuff and control along with average movement. His fastball only peaked in the 93-95 mph range, but he was effective at changing speeds and disguising pitches. Stringer’s arsenal included a screwball, splitter, and changeup.

Stringer’s stamina was pretty good early in his career, leading the Australasia League twice in innings pitched. His durability was strong for much of his career, but he did run into some major injuries in his mid 30s. Stringer graded around average at defense and holding runners. He was known for his scrappiness and impressive work ethic, getting the absolute most out of his skillset.

In June 2008, a teenaged Stringer signed a developmental deal with Hobart, who was one of the four expansion teams that started play in 2008. He made his debut with the Tasmaniacs in 2013 with 99.2 innings at age 21, although he struggled initially. Stringer earned a full-time rotation spot the next year and spent five years in that role for Hobart.

After decent results in his first few years, Stringer had his breakout year in 2018 as Australasia League Pitcher of the Year. He won his lone ERA title with a career best 2.45 and led in wins at 23-9. Stringer also had a career and league best 0.89 WHIP. Hobart had been around .500 the last few years, but still was dealing with growing pains. This effort in a contract year made Stringer a hot commodity that the Tasmaniacs couldn’t quite afford. He left that winter for free agency at age 27.

For Hobart, Stringer had a 90-76 record, 3.47 ERA, 1552 innings, 1470 strikeouts, 273 walks, 111 ERA+, 90 FIP-, and 27.7 WAR. He signed a six-year, $66,100,000 deal next with Auckland. Stringer would have similar tallies with the Avengers to the Tasmaniacs, ultimately getting inducted in Auckland’s red and gold. In his Avengers debut, Stringer repeated as POTY with career bests for wins (24-12), innings (333.1), complete games (17), and WAR (9.0). He also had a 2.62 ERA nd 312 Ks.

Stringer’s production regressed closer to league average for the rest of his time in New Zealand. Auckland was largely competitive during his tenure, averaging 87.8 wins per season, but they were unable to get over the hump. The closest they came was with a 101-62 in 2022, losing the pennant in a tiebreaker game against Sydney. Stringer’s biggest highlight came on June 4, 2022 in a no-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk facing Gold Coast.

After their strong 2022, Auckland struggled to 67-95 in 2023. That offseason, Stringer was traded to Christchurch straight up for 2B Elijah Kern. In five seasons for the Avengers, Stringer had a 92-72 record, 3.68 ERA, 1531.2 innings, 1461 strikeouts, 246 walks, 106 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 29.8 WAR.

Stringer kept similar pace in 2024 for the Chinooks with a 16-8 record, 3.70 ERA, 233.2 innings, 243 strikeouts, 109 ERA+, and 3.5 WAR. He breached the 3000 career strikeout mark and was two wins away from the 200 club. This marked the end of Stringer’s OBA tenure, although he still had eight more seasons to come. Now 33-years old, free agency took him to Russia at $64,200,000 over five years for Yekaterinburg, the defending Eurasian Professional Baseball champion.

He again remained fairly consistent in his time with the Yaks with a 47-44 record, 2.97 ERA, 831.2 innings, 819 strikeouts, 95 walks, 106 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 11.4 WAR. Stringer got his first playoff experience with the Yaks winning the Asian League pennant in 2026 and losing in the 2027 ALCS. He had a 3.25 ERA over 36 playoff innings with 37 Ks. Stringer hadn’t seen much big game action prior, although he did pitch for Australia in the World Baseball Championship from 2016-20 with a 4.29 ERA in 21 innings.

Stringer’s final year with Yekaterinburg was plagued by elbow tendinitis that kept him out nearly three months. He didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the fifth year of his deal, going back to free agency in 2029 at age 37. Stringer was signed by CABA’s Haiti Herons, but they only used him in 16.1 innings all season. He was at least effective with a 2.20 ERA in that small sample size.

He went back to Russia in 2030 with Volgograd and had a nice effort with a 2.65 ERA in 204 innings, 15-6 record, 187 strikeouts, 138 ERA+, and 3.3 WAR. The Voyagers finished 113-49, but got upset in the European League Championship Series by wild card Moscow. Stringer struggled with eight runs allowed in 9.1 playoff innings.

For his combined EPB tenure, Stringer had a 62-50 record, 2.90 ERA, 1035.2 innings, 1006 strikeouts, 129 walks, 111 ERA+, 96 FIP-, and 14.7 WAR. He wasn’t incredible, but he was a perfectly competent starter in Russia. Stringer spent 2031 in Mexico with Hermosillo with a 3.29 ERA over 115 innings with 91 Ks and 1.3 WAR. He then finished up in 2032 with Aguascalientes, but only tossed 11 innings for the Cactus. Stringer retired that winter at age 41.

For his combined pro career, Stringer had a 269-213 record, 3.41 ERA, 4495.1 innings, 4294 strikeouts, 718 walks, 161 complete games, 25 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 91 FIP-, and 77.7 WAR. However, his OBA accumulations were notably lower with eight seasons removed. In OBA, Stringer had a 198-156 record, 3.58 ERA, 3317.1 innings, 3174 strikeouts, 567 walks, 113 complete games, 18 shutouts, 109 ERA+, 89 FIP-, and 61.0 WAR.

As of 2037, Stringer ranks 39^th in wins, 44^th in complete games, 36^th in innings, 42^nd in strikeouts, and 45^th in WAR among pitchers. The totals were definitely a bit borderline, although there had been other starters inducted into the Oceania Baseball Association’s Hall of Fame with similar tallies. Stringer did notably have a weaker ERA than anyone else in the OBA Hall. Some detractors also dogged him for a lack of team successes.

Supporters pointed out Stringer’s two Pitcher of the Year wins and a no-hitter as the biggest selling point. They also gave him at least partial credit for his post-OBA numbers, arguing that 250+ total wins and 4000+ Ks are plenty. Stringer received 72.3% in his debut ballot, enough to cross the 66% requirement to join OBA’s four-player class for 2033.

Alison Kila – Starting Pitcher – Christchurch Chinooks – 67.2% Second Ballot

Alison Kila was a 5’10’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Kimbe, Papua New Guinea; a town of 27,000 people on the island of New Britain. Kila had outstanding raw stuff, but his control and movement were both subpar and inconsistent. His fastball was excellent at 98-100 mph and was joined by a curveball, forkball, changeup, and slider. Kila was untouchable and exciting when he was dealing, but his inconsistency and wildness could make for erratic results.

Kila’s stamina was below average relative to most OBA aces and he ran into some injury woes in his 30s. His pickoff move and defensive metrics on the whole graded as below average, but he did earn a Gold Glove in 2011. Kila was one of the smarter guys in the clubhouse and was considered a team player.

After a strong amateur career in Papua New Guinea, Kila’s pro career began in New Zealand as he was picked eighth in the 2010 OBA Draft by Christchurch. He was a full-timer immediately and had an all-time debut season, winning 2011 Australasia League Pitcher of the Year. Somehow, he was third in Rookie of the Year voting despite that.

Kila led in ERA (2.45), strikeouts (365), WHIP (0.91), quality starts (31), FIP- (61), and WAR (9.8) in his debut season and at 22-12 only missed the Triple Crown by two wins. This would be his career best for wins, ERA, quality starts, and WAR. With such an impactful debut, many figured Kila was destined for all-time greatness, but he never replicated that effort and wasn’t a POTY finalist ever again.

In 2012, he missed a month to a rotator cuff strain. Kila led in strikeouts again in 2013 and got his ERA back below three in 2015, leading that year with a 0.90 WHIP. 2013 marked the start of Christchurch’s dynasty run, finishing 110-52 with an Oceania Championship win over Guadalcanal. They went 105-57 in 2014 and repeated, this time topping Tahiti in the final. The Chinooks won the AL again at 98-64 in 2015, but lost in a finals rematch with the Tropics.

Kila’s playoff numbers were a mixed bag for Christchurch with a 2.65 ERA over five starts and 34 innings, 0-2 record, 33 strikeouts, and 0.1 WAR. He had a 3.86 ERA over 25.2 innings in the 2013 Baseball Grand Championship, but struggled to a 6.04 ERA over 22.1 innings in the 2014 BGC. Christchurch finished 8-11 in the 2013 event, then finished third in 2014 at 13-6.

After the 2015 season, Kila left the Chinooks for free agency heading towards his age 28 season. In five years for Christchurch, he had a 94-45 record, 3.10 ERA, 1242.2 innings, 1706 strikeouts, 268 walks, 123 ERA+, 76 FIP-, and 32.1 WAR. Kila cashed in on a seven-year, $65,100,000 deal with Canberra. The Centurions were one of the 2006 expansion teams and were mostly middling during Kila’s tenure averaging 76.8 wins per season.

In 2018, Kila led in strikeouts (405) and innings (313), but also in home runs allowed with 44. High homer and walk tallies limited his value despite regularly being a top five strikeout pitcher. In late September 2020, Kila saw a major setback with a partially torn ulnar collateral ligament. This ultimately had a 12 month recovery time and he missed the entire 2021 season.

Kila was back for one last year with Canberra and finished his tenure with an 88-88 record, 3.74 ERA, 1591.1 innings, 1881 strikeouts, 435 walks, 104 ERA+, 94 FIP-, and 25.0 WAR. Although his longest stint was with the Centurions, his more impressive work and POTY award with Christchurch led to Kila being inducted in Chinooks black and blue.

A free agent again at age 35, Kila got a one-year, $4,600,000 deal with Guam. In mid-April, he suffered a fractured elbow that kept him out most of the year. Kila only made nine starts with a 2.83 ERA over 57.1 innings and 49 strikeouts. He opened up the free agent search internationally for 2024 and found a buyer in Brazil with a one-year, $5,700,000 deal with Sao Paulo.

Although Kila still dealt with elbow injuries, he had respectable campaign with the Padres with a 3.69 ERA over 161 innings, 161 Ks, and 3.7 WAR. In 29.2 playoff innings, he had a 3.64 ERA with 21 Ks as Sao Paulo won the Southern Cone League title, ultimately losing Copa Sudamerica to 112-win Quito. Kila was lousy in the Baseball Grand Championship with a 5.67 ERA over 27 innings with 30 Ks. Still, Sao Paulo finished even for the top spot at 13-6 with Dublin and Chisinau, although tiebreakers officially put them in third place.

That effort overall earned Kila a two-year, $12,600,000 deal with Fortaleza for 2025. Kila had more elbow troubles, but was effective in his 87.1 innings with 2.89 ERA and 1.5 WAR. In the playoffs, he had a 4.22 ERA over 21.1 innings as the Foxes won the pennant, falling to Barranquilla in Copa Sudamerica. Kila was left off the BGC roster and didn’t meet the vesting criteria for the second year with Fortaleza. He posted a 3.41 ERA, 19-7 record, 248.1 innings, 242 strikeouts, and 5.3 WAR over two years in South America.

Kila returned to OBA for one last year with New Caledonia in 2026, tossing 209.1 innings with an 8-16 record, 4.08 ERA, 154 strikeouts, and 2.2 WAR. He wasn’t too far from 200 wins and 4000 Ks in OBA and hoped to reach it, but Kila was unsigned for 2027. He retired that winter at age 39, finishing his entire pro career with a 212-158 record, 3.48 ERA, 3349 innings, 4032 strikeouts, 807 walks, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 65.2 WAR.

In OBA, Kila finished with a 193-151 record, 3.49 ERA, 3100.2 innings, 3790 strikeouts, 766 walks, 399 home runs, 264/444 quality starts, 45 complete games, 9 shutouts, 110 ERA+, 88 FIP-, and 59.9 WAR. As of 2037, Kila ranks 42^nd in wins, 48^th in innings, 19^th in strikeouts, and 50^th in pitching WAR. His 11.00 K/9 is 18^th among pitchers with 1000+ innings. Kila also is 15^th in homers allowed and 25^th in walks.

Similar to his eventual Hall of Fame classmate Steve Stringer, Kila’s accumulations were borderline. There were guys who had made it in with a similar range, but not many. Kila and Stringer had the first and third highest ERAs of any Oceania Baseball Association Hall of Famer. Many voters figured either both deserved a yes or both deserved a no.

Working in Kila’s favor was a high strikeout rate, his Pitcher of the Year debut, and a role in Christchurch’s dynasty. He just missed the 66% requirement for induction in his debut ballot at 63.4% for 2032. One year later, Kila barely crossed the line at 67.2% for a second ballot selection to cap off a four-player 2033 class for OBA.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-05-2025, 07:53 PM

Three ace pitchers made it into Austronesia Professional Baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2033. Each was a first ballot nod with Gosner Rahmawati (99.7%) and Aru Haj (95.2%) as no doubters along with Rahman Omar at a solid 76.5%. Closer Kyle Oliveira was the next closest to the 66% threshold, but missed in his final try at 58.4%. SP Favian Frias was the other player above 50% with a 51.5% debut. The best non-pitcher was 3B Yu-Ting Tsai at 38.9% on his ninth ballot.

For Oliveira, he was always above 45% and got as high as 60.3% in 2032 before falling off the ballot. He was hurt by three years in MLB lowering his accumulations, but he finished in APB with 326 saves and 406 shutdowns, 1.76 ERA, 927 innings, 1216 strikeouts, 242 walks, 159 ERA+, 50 FIP-, and 37.8 WAR. Oliveira’s tallies were comparable to other APB inductees, but he had only one Reliever of the Year and was often forgotten pitching for weaker teams. His only APB playoff experience was in his last year with Zamboanga in a reduced role, although he did get a championship ring. He ended up stuck in the Hall of Pretty Good.

CF Edmund Quan was also dropped after ten ballots, peaking at 44.1% in 2025 but ending with only 8.7% in 2032. He won three Silver Sluggers and an MVP with Singapore, winning four batting titles and leading in hits four times. Quan also led the association six times in stolen bases and once in WAR. His 12.5 WAR in 2009 ranks as the sixth-best season by an APB position player.

Unfortunately, being a lead-off guy limits you with voters due to low power numbers and APB is an extremely low scoring environment as it is. Quan played 1694 games with 1779 hits, 715 runs, 288 doubles, 152 triples, 96 homers, 651 RBI, 872 steals, .294/.326/.439 slash, 157 wRC+, and 80.3 WAR. He also helped Singapore to pennants in 2008-09. Quan is 48^th in WAR among position players as of 2037, but his skillset seemed undervalued in particular by APB voters, thus a banishment to the Hall of Pretty Good.

Gosner Rahmawati – Starting Pitcher – Bandung Blackhawks – 99.7% First Ballot

Gosner Rahmawati was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Cirebon Selatan, Indonesia; a city with 345,000 people in the West Java province. Rahmawati was best known his impressive stamina and durability. He was considered the ironman ace of APB, eventually retiring as the career leader for innings, wins, starts, and shutouts.

Rahmawati’s stuff was rarely overwhelmingly powerful, but it was good to occasionally great. It was excellent control of his arsenal and rock solid movement that brought him success. His velocity peaked with a 96-98 mph cutter that was mixed with a slider, splitter, and changeup. Rahmawati also had one of the best pickoff moves in the game, although his overall defense graded as decent.

He was one of the intelligent and adaptable aces you’d find, making the absolute most of his innings and skillset. Rahmawati also was a decent batter by pitcher standards with a career .167 average. He won a Silver Slugger in 2012 as he batted .313 that year. Rahmawati’s steady presence and longevity made him very popular over a 19-year career exclusively with Bandung.

The Blackhawks spotted Rahmawati as a teenage amateur, giving him a developmental deal in April 2004. He debuted in 2009 at age 21 with 121.2 innings with mixed results. Rahmawati became a full-time starter after that and took second in 2010’s Pitcher of the Year voting, leading the Sundaland Association in quality starts (28) and complete games (16).

Even though APB is the world’s lowest scoring league, it was still very impressive that Rahmawati kept his ERA below two in 14 different seasons. He won his first Pitcher of the Year in 2013, leading that year in WAR (8.4) and innings (277.1). Bandung ended a nine-year playoff drought at 98-64 and won the SA pennant over Medan, although they fell to Zamboanga in the Austronesia Championship. Rahmawati was a stud in his first postseason, winning his three starts with an 0.75 ERA and 25 Ks in 24 innings. That winter, the Blackhawks gave him a five-year, $56,700,000 extension.

Rahmawati won his first ERA title in 2014 and had career bests for ERA (1.28) and wins (20-5), repeating as Pitcher of the Year. He made it a three-peat in 2015 with his career bests for strikeouts (304) and WAR (8.8). Bandung lost the 2014 Sundaland Association Championship to Pekanbaru, but knocked off Kuala Lumpur to win the 2015 pennant. The Blackhawks then got revenge on 105-win Zamboanga as they upset the Zebras for the APB Championship.

For the playoffs, Rahmawati had a 1.76 ERA in 15.1 innings for 2014 and a 2.91 ERA over 21.2 innings in 2015. In the 2015 Baseball Grand Championship, Rahmawati had a 2.61 ERA over 31 innings with 36 Ks, 159 ERA+, and 1.4 WAR; although Bandung finished 7-12. At this point, Rahmawati had also earned a reputation as a big game pitcher through the World Baseball Championship.

With Indonesia from 2012-26, Rahmawati tossed 210.2 innings with a 15-5 record, 2.95 ERA, 240 strikeouts, 36 walks, and 5.2 WAR. Their best run came in 2014, taking runner-up to the United States. Rahmawati had a 1.98 ERA over 36.1 innings in that run.

Rahmawati won his second ERA title in 2016 at 1.54 and led in wins at 19-5, but he finished second in Pitcher of the Year voting. He was second again in 2018, 2022, and 2024 and third in 2025, but never won the top honor again. Rahmawati had nine seasons worth 7+ WAR, peaking with 8.8 in both 2015 and 2018. He would lead thrice in complete games and twice in shutouts in his 30s.

After their 2015 title, Bandung was stuck in the middle-tier outside of the playoffs from 2016-21. Rahmawati kept doing his thing and inked a new six-year, $91,500,000 extension in May 2018. The Blackhawks got back to the postseason in 2022, but lost the Sundaland Association Championship to Medan. That was Rahmawati’s weakest playoff effort with a 3.68 ERA in 14.2 innings. Bandung took second in the Java Sea League in 2023 at 93-69 behind Jakarta. He declined his contract option after the 2023 season and was a free agent for the first time at age 35. After less than a month on the market, Rahmawati signed a new three-year, $57,200,000 deal to return to the Blackhawks.

In 2024, Bandung took first at 87-75 and won the pennant over Pekanbaru. The Blackhawks then defeated Kaohsiung for the Austronesia Championship. Rahmawati was MVP of the association finals and had an all-time postseason run, winning all four of his starts with a 0.53 ERA over 33.2 innings with 38 strikeouts and 4 walks. As of 2037, this is one of only seven times in APB that a pitcher won four playoff starts.

Rahmawati couldn’t quite carry the same success into the Baseball Grand Championship, but Bandung had an impressive 12-7 finish for fourth behind 13-6 efforts by Dublin, Chisinau, and Sao Paulo. In four starts, Rahmawati had a 3.48 ERA, 1-2 record, 33.2 innings, 21 strikeouts, 11 walks, and 0.1 WAR. Overall in APB, he was great in his postseason outings with a 1.65 ERA over 109.1 innings, 9-4 record, 106 strikeouts, 14 walks, 150 ERA+, 71 FIP-, and 3.1 WAR.

Bandung spent the rest of Rahmawati’s run back around .500. He signed a two-year, $44,400,000 extension after the 2025 season, his last great year with 7.0 WAR and 1.80 ERA. Rahmawati had become the sixth in APB to 250 career wins and was chasing Hadi Ningsih’s 277 for the all-time mark. However, Rahmawati’s velocity started to dip into the 92-94 mph peak range in his final years. His stuff was now mediocre, but his control and stamina still were good and he kept a roster spot out of respect.

Rahmawati was limited to a part-time role in 2026 with a 5-11 record, 2.97 ERA, 166.2 innings, 82 ERA+, and 0.4 WAR. He was a bit better in 2027 at 12-16 with a 2.79 ERA, 235.2 innings, 117 Ks, 93 ERA+, and 1.7 WAR. Rahmawati passed Ningsih to become the APB wins leader to great fanfare in Bandung. However, he was clearly washed and retired after the 2027 season at age 39. The Blackhawks immediately retired his #20 uniform for his 19 years of steady service.

In total, Rahmawati had a 283-195 record, 1.94 ERA, 4736.2 innings, 4718 strikeouts, 521 walks, 467/561 quality starts, 254 complete games, 83 shutouts, 129 ERA+, 77 FIP-, and 111.8 WAR. As of 2037, Rahmawati is the APB leader in wins, starts, shutouts, and innings. He also is 5^th in losses, 2^nd in complete games, 11^th in strikeouts, and 10^th in WAR among pitchers. The longevity meant his 3379 hits allowed are 2^nd most in APB, but he doesn’t make the top 100 for walks allowed.

Among pitchers with 1000+ innings, Rahmawati is 30^th in ERA, 7^th in BB/9 (0.99), 28^th in WHIP (0.82), and 31^st in opponent’s OPS (.524). Rahmawati is also 27^th in opponent’s OBP (.227) and 55^th in slugging (.297), but outside of the top 100 for batting average, H/9, and K/9. On the world leaderboard as of 2037, Rahmawati does rank 38^th in innings pitched, 47^th in complete games, 2^nd in shutouts, and 9^th in quality starts.

He’s also 23^rd in ERA among Hall of Fame starters and 21^st in opponent’s OPS, although part of that is a function of APB’s extremely low scoring environment. Rahmawati doesn’t crack the top 50 in WAR, ERA+, or FIP-. The 83 shutouts though are behind only world strikeout king Mohamed Ramos’ 100. Despite the 83 shutouts, Rahmawati surprisingly never threw a no-hitter.

There have been more overwhelmingly dominant guys in Austronesia Professional Baseball history, but few if any were as steady and consistent as Rahmawati. He’s usually viewed as an inner-circle Hall of Famer, but fans of advanced metrics often keep him out of the top five lists for APB aces. Rahmawati had no shortage of accolades though; the most innings and wins, three Pitcher of the Year awards, three pennants, and two APB titles. That made him an obvious headliner with a nearly unanimous 99.7% atop APB’s 2033 HOF class.

**MrNFL_FanIQ** · 08-06-2025, 08:48 AM

Aru Haj – Starting Pitcher – Batam Blue Raiders – 95.2% First Ballot

Aru Haj was a 6’0’’, 200 pound left-handed pitcher from Rembang Regency, Indonesia. Known as Lasem in the colonial era, it is in the Central Java province with about 665,000 inhabitants. Haj didn’t have the same longevity of his Hall of Fame classmate Gosner Rahmawati, but his stamina was arguably more impressive. Haj led six times in innings pitched and five times in complete games. He was considered an ironman who tossed 250+ innings in all but his rookie season (which had 211.2).

Haj didn’t have quite as much staying power since his control and movement were both above average at best. His stuff was quite good though led by a 97-99 mph peak velocity between a slider and sinker. Haj also had a strong forkball and a mediocre changeup in the arsenal. He was good at holding runners, but subpar defensively otherwise. Haj was also appreciated by teammates for a strong work ethic.

He quickly emerged as one of the best Indonesian prospects by the 2013 APB Draft, going fourth overall to Batam. Haj struggled as a full-timer in his rookie season, leading the Sundaland Association in losses at 5-18 with a 3.32 ERA, 73 ERA+, and 1.5 WAR over 211.2 innings. He fared better after that and generally graded as a good-to-great starter for the Blue Raiders, leading four times in innings pitched.

Haj’s best effort with Batam came in 2019 with a 1.78 ERA, 268.1 innings, 310 strikeouts, and 6.4 WAR. The Blue Raiders hadn’t gotten a playoff trip in the 21^st Century and wouldn’t while Haj was there, although they came only one win short in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, Batam struggled to a 69-93 and ended up as sellers at the trade deadline. They shipped Haj to Hsinchu for three prospects, ending his run after seven-and-a-half seasons.

For Batam, Haj had a 93-108 record, 2.45 ERA, 1991.2 innings, 2244 strikeouts, 361 walks, 105 complete games, 27 shutouts, 103 ERA+, 89 FIP- , and 35.8 WAR. He was generally well liked by Blue Raiders management and they retired his #30 uniform at the end of his career. Hsinchu was a 2007 expansion team still looking for their first-ever pennant, but they were set to contend in the Taiwan League led by superstar slugger Binh Tang.

Haj had a decent second half as the Sweathogs got that first playoff trip, defeating fellow expansion team Cagayan de Oro in the Taiwan-Philippine Association Championship. Hsinchu was denied the Austronesia Championship by Palembang. Haj’s playoff stats were merely decent with a 3.03 ERA, 2-2 record, 32.2 innings, 23 Ks, 94 ERA+, and 0.2 WAR. The Sweathogs were overall happy with the acquisition and gave Haj a three-year, $23,900,000 extension in the winter. His combined 2021 saw 8.4 WAR and 327 strikeouts, both career bests.

He led in wins at 20-9 in 2022 and stayed steady over three years with Hsinchu. They had second place finishes in the TL for 2022 and 2024, but took the title and top seed in 2023 at 106-56. The Sweathogs lost the TPA Championship that year though to Zamboanga and Haj allowed five runs in 7.1 innings in his lone playoff start.

While his career playoff stats were unremarkable in the small sample size, Haj did have good numbers in the World Baseball Championship for Indonesia. He pitched from 2017-18, 2021-23, and in 2025 with a 2.05 ERA over 70.1 innings, 86 strikeouts, 173 ERA+, and 2.1 WAR. The Indonesians won two division titles with Haj, but couldn’t get to the final four.

With Hsinchu in three-and-a-half years, Haj had a 52-27 record, 2.00 ERA, 793.1 innings, 904 strikeouts, 12r walks, 127 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 15.3 WAR. He became a free agent for the first time at age 34 and signed a four-year, $53,500,000 deal with Depok. The Demons fell one win short of Jakarta in the Java Sea League in Haj’s debut in 2025, then fell towards .500 for his remaining years.

Still, Haj led in wins in both 2025 and 2026 for Depok and posted a career best 1.59 ERA in 2026. Haj was second that year in Pitcher of the Year voting, his only time as a finalist. In 2027, he joined the 200 win and 4000 strikeout clubs. Haj had a slight dip in velocity that year, but was still pitching mostly at his usual level. Still, he opted to retire that winter at age 36. For Depok, Haj had a 52-27 record, 2.00 ERA, 793.1 innings, 904 strikeouts, 127 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 15.3 WAR.

Haj finished with a 206-165 record, 2.32 ERA, 3700 innings, 4160 strikeouts, 631 walks, 348/443 quality starts, 203 complete games, 54 shutouts, 111 ERA+, 86 FIP-, and 72.4 WAR. As of 2037, Haj is 27^th in wins, 19^th in innings, 7^th in complete games, 16^th in shutouts, 18^th in strikeouts, and 41^st in WAR among pitchers. His 0.88 WHIP is 64^th among those with 1000+ innings, but he generally doesn’t register for rate stats.

He was almost never viewed as a top three pitcher in his career, but Haj quietly put up consistent innings and racked up nice tallies. Every eligible pitcher in Austronesia Professional Baseball history with 4000+ Ks made it into the Hall of Fame and most (but not all) with 200+ wins did as well. Even without accolades, those milestones were plenty for almost all of the Hall of Fame voters in 2033. Haj received 95.2% for a firm first ballot nod within a three-pitcher class.

Rahman “Dum Dum” Omar – Starting Pitcher - Surabaya Sunbirds – 76.5% First Ballot

Rahman Omar was a 5’11’’, 200 pound right-handed pitcher from Subang Jaya, Malaysia; the country’s sixth-largest city with around 771,000 people. Affectionately known by the childhood nickname “Dum Dum,” Omar had stellar stuff along with great control and very good movement. At his peak, many scouts rated Omar’s stuff as a 10/10; a mark rarely reached by a starting pitcher.

Omar’s 99-101 mph fastball was world class and led the way, although his similarly quick cutter was also devastating. He also had a splitter and changeup in the arsenal as solid options. Omar’s stamina was good, but various injuries kept him below 200 innings in all but six seasons. He fielded the position well and won a Gold Glove in 2025. Omar notably had a subpar pickoff move though and could struggle holding runners. He was a fan favorite player with a strong work ethic and adaptability.

Few pitchers were rated higher for the 2015 APB Draft and Omar went third overall to Surabaya. The Sunbirds kept him on the reserve roster for 2016, then debuted him as a full-timer in 2017. Omar had moments of promise early on, but didn’t really emerge as a true ace until his fourth year. By year five with Surabaya, he was elite, leading that season in WHIP at 0.68. He also had his career best ERA at 1.36 with 355 strikeouts, but surprisingly wasn’t a Pitcher of the Year finalist. It didn’t help that the Sunbirds finished 69-93.

Surabaya did better in later years, but peaked in the middle-tier during Omar’s tenure with no playoff berths and an average of 79.6 wins per season. From 2021-26, Omar was good for 8.8 WAR or better each season. He led the Sundaland Association with 401 strikeouts and 0.67 WHIP in 2022, but was third in Pitcher of the Year voting. That year saw a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts against Depok. After the 2023 season, Omar inked a four-year, $97,200,000 extension with the Sunbirds.

Omar won POTY in 2024 with his career highs for WAR (13.1), and FIP- (20). He also led in strikeouts (384), WHIP (0.69), and K/BB (16.7). Omar finished 0.17 points and two wins shy of a Triple Crown. He repeated as Pitcher of the Year in 2025 with his lone APB ERA title at 1.50. Omar also led again in Ks (346), WHIP (0.68), and WAR (9.3) and for the first time in complete games (19), and shutouts (7). The Sunbirds gave him no run support though with a 12-12 record.

In 2026, Omar led in WAR for the third straight year. Surabaya had their best record of his tenure at 87-75, still seven wins short of the playoffs. Omar wanted to pitch on a bigger stage than he seemingly could get with the Sunbirds and declined his player option, becoming a free agent after the 2026 season at age 31. He remained popular with Surabaya fans after departing and his #26 uniform would eventually be retired.

This also marked the end of Omar’s time in APB as Major League Baseball teams had taken a keen interest. He would still come home to Malaysia for the World Baseball Championship after leaving Southeast Asia. From 2018-30, Omar had a 3.62 ERA over 186.1 innings, 12-9 record, 240 strikeouts, and 2.9 WAR.

Omar wanted the big stage and you couldn’t go bigger than the reigning Grand Champion and World Series champ. He signed a six-year, $153,600,000 deal with San Diego and immediately thrived, leading the American Association in ERA (2.17), WHIP (0.93), quality starts (24), FIP- (56), and WAR (10.9). Omar won the third Pitcher of the Year of his career, becoming one of a select few in world history to win the honor in MLB and another world league.

With Omar’s help, the 2027 Seals staked a case for being the greatest team in baseball history. San Diego finished 119-43 and defeated Montreal to repeat as World Series champs. The Seals then went 14-5 for the first-ever repeat in the Baseball Grand Championship. In the MLB playoffs, Omar was decent with a 3.89 ERA in 41.2 innings, 2-3 record, 39 strikeouts, and 114 ERA+. He was a stud in the BGC though winning his four starts with a 1.77 ERA over 35.2 innings, 55 strikeouts, and 2.1 WAR.

Unfortunately for Omar, injuries plagued the rest of his San Diego run. He had only 10 starts in 2028 thanks to a torn meniscus and sore shoulder. Omar was limited to two playoff starts, although he allowed only one run in 10.2 innings. The Seals finished 108-54 and earned the three-peat, ousting Ottawa in the World Series. Omar only made one BGC start, allowing two runs in a 7.1 inning no decision. SD was denied an unprecedented BGC three-peat, finishing sixth at 12-7.

Chronic back soreness and a strained oblique limited Omar in 2029. San Diego got MLB’s second-ever four peat, finishing 99-63 with a World Series win in a rematch with Ottawa. The Seals finished 12-9 in an expanded Baseball Grand Championship, tying for seventh. Omar had a lackluster 4.41 ERA over 16.1 innings in the playoff run and had a 3.82 ERA over 33 innings in the BGC.

For his playoff career, Omar had a 4-3 record in 10 starts, 3.54 ERA, 68.2 innings, 68 strikeouts, 10 walks, 124 ERA+, 97 FIP-, and 1.0 WAR. He was more impressive in the BGC with a 7-2 record, 2.72 ERA, 76 innings, 103 strikeouts, and 2.3 WAR. Even with the injuries, Omar was a critical part of one of the greatest dynasties in professional baseball history.

Omar was still effective when healthy, but that was unfortunately becoming rare. In June 2030, Omar suffered shoulder inflammation that kept him out the rest of the calendar year. San Diego won the Southwest Division again at 99-63, but was dethroned in the second round. After the shoulder trouble, Omar’s stuff and control both took a big hit. He now was peaking in the mid 90 mph range and had trouble aiming his arsenal.

After two terrible starts in April 2031, Omar was unceremoniously cut by San Diego. For his run, he had a 48-21 record, 2.44 ERA, 626.2 innings, 583 strikeouts, 134 walks, 179 ERA+, 67 FIP-, and 20.6 WAR. Omar was undoubtedly elite on the biggest stage for the biggest team and Seals fans were grateful overall. He only stayed unemployed for a week as Albuquerque signed him on a one-year, $7,300,000 deal on April 11.

A hamstring strain and forearm inflammation bothered Omar for most of 2031. He was subpar even when healthy with a 4.34 ERA over 93.1 innings with only 37 Ks and 0.5 WAR for the Isotopes. MLB teams hoped he might have something left, signing in late March 2032 with Brooklyn. Omar only went 1.1 innings into his only start with the Dodgers, suffering a damaged elbow ligament with a 13 month recovery time. He retired that winter shortly after his 38^th birthday.

For his combined pro career, Omar had a 172-123 record, 2.07 ERA, 2840.2 innings, 3640 strikeouts, 510 walks, 266/362 quality starts, 142 complete games, 43 shutouts, 142 ERA+, 57 FIP-, and 97.6 WAR. The injuries certainly kept him from more notable accumulations. He does notably rank 45^th among Hall of Fame starters in world history for ERA. Among HOF starters and retired locks, he’s also tied for 28^th in FIP- and 29^th in opponent’s OPS.

Just in APB with Surabaya, Omar had a 120-95 record, 1.85 ERA, 2119.1 innings, 3018 strikeouts, 340 walks, 205/269 quality starts, 96 complete games, 32 shutouts, 136 ERA+, 52 FIP-, and 76.4 WAR. Even with just ten seasons, Omar is 36^th in WAR for pitchers, but he is only 81^st in strikeouts and misses the top 100 for wins and most other counting stats.

Among APB pitchers with 1000+ innings, Omar ranks 18^th in ERA and his .499 opponent’s OPS is 15^th. His triple slash of .181/.221/.279 ranks 18^th/17^th/18^th. Omar also ranks 18^th in H/9 (5.67), 14^th in K/9 (12.82), and 12^th in WHIP (0.79). However, there were a few Hall of Fame voters that couldn’t get over the lower grand tallies. Others also knocked Omar down for Surabaya’s lack of team success.

The majority though gave Omar at least some credit for his San Diego run. Winning a third Pitcher of the Year in MLB and being important to a historic world dynasty can’t be completely ignored, even if in another league. Omar’s shorter tenure keeps him out of any inner-circle conversations, but most agreed he deserved recognition. Omar got the first ballot nod at 76.5% to cap off a three-pitcher 2033 class for Austronesia Professional Baseball.

Baseball: The World's Game (OOTP 22 Fictional World)

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